Enhancing Matters Of the Heart- The Whole Story
by Trillian St.James
Summary: Edited!!! A new crew member is a valuble addition to the ship and to Seven's life. If your a fan of Seven of Nine, read this story. Edited and better.


Fan Fiction  
Star Trek: Voyager  
  
Tears swelled in Finnegan's eyes as he saw the all to familiar triangular emblem   
on the Captain's chest. The same symbol that he cursed only 10 years ago. Yet this time   
no curses came to his mouth. In fact he could hardly say anything. The only things that   
came to him were tears.  
" This is Captain Janeway of the USS Voyager. Please state the emergency?" she   
asked, a little aggravated at the man who had hailed her on the emergency frequency.   
There really didn't seem to be an emergency. Yet when she took a good look at the man   
she realized what the emergency was. He was human, a Terrain in the middle of the Delta   
quadrant.  
"Captain Janeway," the man said, finally finding the control for words, " my   
name is Dempsey Finnegan, I'm sorry for the false alarm, but when I started to pick up   
Starfleet signatures, I just couldn't risk not getting your attention." His voice quivered,   
"Just please tell me that you are an actual Starfleet crew and not a figure of my   
imagination," he spit this out, clearly giving up any attempt to conceal his emotion.   
"Yes Mr. Finnegan, this is an actual Starfleet ship," Janeway said. It was evident   
in her half smile that she understood just how this man felt.  
"My God, I've found my way home," he muttered to himself, trying to make it   
inaudible to the Captain, yet all on the bridge heard it.  
"Sir, are you all alone in on your vessel?" she asked. The sensors had picked up   
another, simpler life form.  
"Nope, it's me and Hercules," he said smiling.  
"Hercules?" she asked, confused.   
"My cocker spaniel," he said laughing. "Captain, I request permission to come   
aboard, if that would be ok with you? Oh and by the way, where in the US are you   
from?"  
The Captain smiled, "Indiana, how about you?"  
Finnegan, for the first time in a while, smiled, a full and genuine smile, " New   
Jersey, and you don't know how great it is to talk to a person who actually knows where   
that is."  
  
  
After the transmission the Captain ordered Tuvok to do a complete report on   
Finnegan, while she, accompanied by the doctor went to meet their guest at transporter   
room 2. While Janeway had felt almost complete trust in Finnegan she was too wise to   
have the wool pulled over her eyes. She would have to do tests on the man, to make sure   
that he was actually human and that if he was truly from Earth, that his was a credible   
character. Yet the Captain knew, for some unexplained reason that this man was no threat   
to her or the crew she was sworn to protect. She knew that the report would only prove   
that the man she was going to meet was perfectly normal. It was strange that she trusted   
this man so well. When she looked into his eyes, it was as if she had known him for 20   
years. She felt a connection to him and this connection was completely platonic. Not that   
the man wasn't attractive. She had noticed several of the female bridge members' smiles   
as the man's pleasant image went onto the viewscreen. Though she found him attractive   
she wasn't attracted to him. She just knew that Finnegan and her shared something.  
When she got to the transporter room that doctor and the security team were there   
waiting.   
"Janeway to Finnegan, prepare to beam aboard," she said after tapping her   
communicator on her chest.  
"Ready" replied the disembodied voice of Dempsey Finnegan from his ship.  
"Energize," said the Captain.  
Within seconds of her command, Finnegan materialized in front of them.   
"Welcome to the Starship Voyager," she said.  
"Hello Captain, let me just say I don't believe that I have ever seen a ship as   
beautiful as this ship that you've got here," he replied as tears welled in his eyes.  
" Well Mr. Finnegan, I'd have to agree with you on that, this is one of the finest   
ships and the finest crews in Starfleet," she proudly stated.   
Finnegan nodded, "Captain I understand that you need to do a thorough   
background check and that you will want to have me examined by your doctor to prove   
my authenticity."  
The strangers understanding of what needed to be done pleased the Captain. She   
was relieved because it made it easier for her to ask him to do it, but more so because it   
almost proved that he had nothing to hide.   
"Yes, all that will need to be done before we can go any further. We have had   
more then one incident of deception in our ranks and we must be cautious," she said.  
" I understand completely and would be happy to comply," he said.  
" All right then, this is our doctor, he will take you to the sick bay and examine   
you and I will meet up with you there in about a half hour," she said as she turned for the   
door.  
  
Finnegan could hardly believe what was going on. He had finally found his ticket   
back to earth. When the Captain had left the room he faced The Doctor and stuck out his   
hand.   
"Hello Doctor, the names Dempsey," he said.  
The Doctor stuck out his had and shook the man's hand unenthusiastically.   
"Follow me please," he said and he walked toward the door.  
" You're a hologram aren't you," the man said from behind him.   
The doctor paused, " How did you know that?" he asked.   
"Cause I can't smell ya," he replied, " I'll explain it all to you in sick bay.  
The two walked to the sick bay.  
  
"Okay Tuvok, tell me what you've got?" Janeway asked as he walked into her   
office. Chakotay was already sitting at the chair in front of her desk. There weren't two   
people in this world that the Captain trusted more then the two men sharing the room   
with her. Tuvok was like a wise older brother and Chakotay; well she hadn't really   
figured that one out yet.  
" Well Captain, after looking through Star Fleet record and several other Earth   
records I came up with more then sufficient data on the subject Finnegan, Dempsey. It   
appears that Mr. Finnegan was a resident of Earth ever since he was born on March 3,   
2345, which would make him 31. At earth he enrolled in Starfleet Academy around the   
early age of 16 and graduated at the top of his class. He studied such fields as   
astrometrics, medical science, and history. However, he was denied an actual position in   
Starfleet," Tuvok said.   
"Well why in God's name was he denied a position if he graduated in the top of   
his class?" the Captain asked, " What did he do?"  
"He did," Tuvok said with a pause, " absolutely nothing." When he finished his   
comment he handed the PADD over to the Captain. She looked at it and her mouth   
opened in shock.  
"He did exactly what he was designed to do." She said. She brought her eyes   
down to read the phrase "artificial genetic enhancement" one more time; just to make   
sure it was actually there.  
  
"You are an amazing specimen Mr. Finnegan," the doctor said as he ran his   
scanners over his body, "It is surprising that you were made by humans."  
"Same goes for you too, doc," Finnegan said with a smile. He had explained his   
situation to the doctor and to his surprise, the doctor was more amazed then appalled. Yet   
the doctor really had been around during the whole anti-genetic tampering movement,   
and neither had Finnegan for that matter, but he knew that regular people did not take   
kindly to genetically enhanced individuals. So now all Finnegan had to do was wait for   
Janeway to come and tell him that he wasn't welcomed on her crew or that he would be   
welcomed to come with them if he remained in the brig the whole time under mild   
sedation. He understood. Most genetically enhanced individuals had become insane or   
deranged, but he figured he was just a normal man. A normal man who was about 4   
times as strong, smart, or fast as a real normal man. A normal man who wanted to get   
home.  
The door opened and in walked the Captain with a Vulcan man.  
The Doctor approached the Captain and smiled. " I assume that you have   
discovered out patient's gift. Besides the evidence of his genetic manipulation, he appears   
to be a normal earth male."  
"Thank you Doctor," the Captain said, with clear aggravation in her voice. "Well   
Mr. Finnegan, it appears that you have quite a history. Your Starfleet record in   
impressive, you graduated at the top of your class with several majors. Only question is,   
how did you end up here?" she asked. The Captains previous tone of excitement and   
friendliness had left her voice. She was hurt and angry. She felt deceived. She had felt a   
bond with this man and now she felt like it had been tainted.  
"Well Captain, I can tell by the sound of your voice that you aren't to thrilled with   
the news, but if you look at the record of the operation you will find out that when it   
happened I was 5 years old, barely able to understand how to add two times two let alone   
the operation that I was a part of. My parents had run into a bit of money when one of my   
relatives died, and they decided to invest it," the anger was apparent in the mans voice   
and it made Janeway pause, she could see what a painful subject this was to Finnegan.   
"Instead of investing in a stock or a savings account like a normal person they decided   
that they would invest it in me, literally. The would make there offspring "perfect" so that   
there future generations would include this perfection. So they took the money and they   
took me to the best genetic engineers in the alpha quadrant. I was given superior   
intelligence, superior strength, speed and agility, but one thing I was not given was a   
choice, Captain. I wasn't even aware of what had happened to me until my second year at   
Starfleet. So Captain if you want me to leave your ship I understand completely, but I   
hoped when I saw you, that you were more understanding then that."   
The Captain was silent for a while. She had been so completely closed minded   
about the whole ordeal that she had failed to even look at how old Finnegan was when   
the operation had occurred. She felt almost foolish for being angry with him.  
"Well Mr. Finnegan, I have taken all of that into consideration and decided that   
the information is irrelevant. Your reputation is impeccable and you appear to be a   
trustworthy person, which is all that matters to me. The question I asked is how in God's   
name did you end up here in the Delta quadrant?" she said.  
Finnegan smiled, he knew for some reason that things were going to be different   
here, that he wouldn't be judged by what was done to him, but by what he had done.  
"That, Captain, is quite a long story that I would love to tell to you and your   
senior officers at dinner on my ship at 1900 hours, if that would be ok with you?" he   
asked charmingly.   
"I think that would be wonderful," she replied, " but for now I would like to give   
you the grand tour of the ship," she said.  
"I would love that," he said and he got up off the medical table and they walked   
out the door.  
  
While they walked the Captain and him talked. They talked about a lot of things.   
They found out that they both had shared interests in history. Janeway told him of her   
interests in old English literature. Dempsey told her of his appreciation for Shakespeare.   
They found out that they both enjoyed skiing.  
"So what are your current interests Mr. Finnegan?" she asked.   
"Well recently I have been doing a great deal of research on the Borg. If you   
noticed in my logs, I was actually married," he said.  
Janeway paused mid-step, how could she have overlooked such a large detail. She   
picked up the PADD and scanned it. "Wow, I'm surprised that I missed something that   
important," she commented.  
" Well it wasn't something that was published in a great deal of logs. We got   
married on a ragtag Ferangi space station. It was kind of spontaneous," he commented.  
"Sounds romantic," she said jokingly.  
"Well it was nice," he said, but his smile slowly turned to a frown as he   
remembered a painful memory.  
"Where is she?" the Captain asked, already knowing the answer.  
"She was assimilated about four years ago," he whispered.   
"I'm sorry Dempsey, I didn't mean to bring up the painful memory," she said,   
placing a hand on his shoulder.  
"It's alright Captain, it was four years ago, and I've dealt with the pain. As I was   
saying, ever since then I have been researching the Borg. I have compiled one of the   
largest data bases on the Borg in all of Starfleet," he said proudly.  
"Why to try to stop them," she said.  
"No, I did it to try and find out if I did the right thing. You see when my wife and   
I encountered the Borg we made a pack. If either of us were assimilated, the other would   
kill that person. So, I had to kill her," he said painfully.  
"I'm sorry that had to happen," she said opening the door to astrometrics. It didn't   
even occur to her what she was doing until it was too late.  
"I can assure you Captain, that I know more about the Borg then anyone on this   
ship," he said confidently as he walked into the lab.  
"I highly doubt that conclusion," said a woman's voice from inside the room.  
  
When Finnegan turned around he hardly expected the woman he saw to be   
attractive. That was probably why he almost fell over when he first saw her.  
"Excuse me," he said as he turned to face the voice that had rudely contradicted   
him, " I don't believe that I was talking to …"  
He couldn't finish his sentence. He was completely taken aback by this woman,   
with golden blond hair and cool blue eyes.  
Seven looked as though she was going to make some snide remark and in fact she   
was, but something held her voice back too. When she caught the eyes of the tall sandy   
blond man with light hazel eyes and a built and powerful body she could hardly find the   
words to comment on his cocky assumption. Eventually she did, yet not until after a long   
and uncomfortable time of eye contact with the stranger.  
"I highly doubt that you know more about the Borg then anyone on this ship," she   
said, still making eye contact with the man.  
"Mr. Dempsey Finnegan, this is my officer in charge of astrometrics, Seven Of   
Nine. Seven of Nine, this is our guest, Mr. Dempsey Finnegan," the Captain said, her   
voice indicated that she had noticed the tension in the room.   
"Seven of Nine, that's a Borg notation," Dempsey said with confusion, until he   
noticed the implants on Seven's face and hands. He hadn't noticed them before. "Well   
that would explain the implants," he commented. "It's nice to meet you Seven," he   
extended his hand for her to shake.  
She stuck hers out to him. Seven had shaken hands with people several times, yet   
none had elicited such an excited response. The sensation of which she had rarely felt.   
For the instants that their hands touched Seven felt happy and safe.   
"You told me that your main area of study was Astrometrics, is that correct,"   
Janeway asked.  
It took Finnegan a while to respond due to the fact that Seven was taking up   
almost all of his attention. "Yes, sorry, that is true, it was my main area of study," he said   
finally.  
" Well then, I suggest you look around. Seven has put together quite a nice spread   
here and I think that-" she was interrupted by the comm. system.  
"Captain, your presence is requested on the Bridge," it was Tom Paris. She could   
hear laughter on the bridge.  
" Is it important, I'm am busy showing our guest around," she replied.  
"Well, I wouldn't call it an emergency, but it is defiantly something that you need   
to see," he said through laughter.   
"Go ahead Captain, I can finish my tour another time," said Finnegan.  
"Don't be silly, Seven, show Mr. Finnegan around the lab until I get back," she   
said as she walked toward the door.  
"Captain?" Seven replied in distress.  
"Seven I'll only be gone for a couple minutes, you'll be fine," she said almost   
mockingly.  
The door closed.  
  
When the Captain walked into the bridge she found a crowd of people   
surrounding the side counsel. When she walked toward them, the crowd parted to reveal   
Ensign Harry Kim's lower half. His head was stuck in one of the side consuls   
compartment. Tom Paris was by his side laughing.  
"I'm sorry I called you up here for this Captain, but you really had to see this," he   
said as he laughed.  
"This is not funny," said the muffled voice of Harry through the wall.  
"Are you okay Harry?" the Captain asked.  
" I'm fine Captain, I'm just stuck," he replied.  
"Lt. Paris, would you please refrain from laughing and help Mr. Kim out of the   
wall," she said, straight faced.  
Tom was a little nervous that she hadn't cracked a smile yet; perhaps she didn't   
find it as humorous as he did.  
"I've already sent for a med team to come up and get him out Captain," Tom   
replied, hoping his responsible attempt to rescue his friend would help him out a little.  
"Well that's good because I find Harry's other half a lot more charming," she said   
with a laugh.  
Tom relaxed, " Yes, Captain."  
"Well I better get back down there, if you think this is strange you should see   
what is going on in Astrometrics," she said as she walked toward the turbolift.  
  
It was like an awkward date between two teenagers.  
"So, what kind of sensors do you use?" asked Finnegan, trying to break the ice.  
"Alpha relay sensors are our main form of sensory perception," Seven said   
looking down at her work, trying to pretend that she was focusing on that and not the man   
she the man that was making her very uncomfortable by simply standing next to her.  
"Wow, that's the main kind I use on my ship. You know what I've found; if you   
realign the sensors so that they are about 8 microns to the negative you can gain a vision   
perception of about 10 light years. The areas close to you become a little foggy, but your   
other systems can usually compensate for it," he said with eager eyes.  
"That's very interesting, but I think that I have a full understanding of my   
systems," she replied, slightly insulted by his comment.  
"Well I wasn't saying that you didn't know your systems, I was just making a   
suggestion to improve them," he commented.  
"Well your suggestion is noted, but the systems are fine the way they are," she   
replied.  
"You know it wouldn't hurt to try it out, it might just turn out that I am right," he   
continued.  
"And it may turn out that you are wrong and don't know when to close your   
mouth," she said, the anger rising in her tone.  
"Yeah, well it may turn out that you are just to stubborn to take a suggestion, and   
to prideful to appreciate when someone is trying to help you," he commented as a   
somewhat playful smirk rose on his face.  
As he made this comment the door opened and the Captain walked in.  
"So what do you think of our Astrometrics lab Mr. Finnegan?" she asked.  
"It's very … interesting to say the least," he said glancing at Seven, " Well, if you   
don't mind Captain, I would like to get back to my ship and prepare dinner for you and   
your officers."  
"Yes of course," Janeway replied.  
"And will you be attending Seven?" he asked, facing her.  
Seven was caught off guard by the question, " Uh, well I have a great deal of   
work to complete and…" she was cut off by the Captain.  
" Of course she will be attending," the Captain said to Finnegan and then glared at   
Seven.  
"Great," said Finnegan, " Well the I will talk to you later … oh and Seven, do try   
that realignment, it really will improve your sensors," he said with a smirk as he excited   
the room with the Captain.  
  
"What an arrogant man," Seven said to herself when the door closed behind them.   
She looked down at her console and then looked up as to check and see that she was   
alone. She then began to program the sensors to 8 negative microns. She then nodded her   
head when she was pleased with the results. A smile crept over her face.  
  
"Well it all started after I complete Star Fleet Academy. Obviously I was angry   
about not receiving a position. Not that I could blame the Academy. I had been given an   
unfair advantage. I was young though, so I wasn't trying to understand the Academy's   
point of view. I just understood that I was mad. I was angry with Star Fleet, I was furious   
at my parents, and I was disappointed in myself for not being able to hide the fact that I   
was enhanced. If I had only known that it was a bunch of artificial genes fueling my   
progress, I would have cooled it. But that was the past, and I've gotten over that.  
"Anyway, when I came home from the Academy, not much had changed. I   
walked into my house and told my parents that I never wanted to see them again and that   
they had ruined my life. I walked out, and I haven't seen them since. I got an apartment a   
couple of towns over. It was easy to find work, so that's what I did for about three   
years… I worked. I went to night school and got a doctorate in astrometrics and a   
master's degree in history and medical science. It was around a month after I got my   
degree when I ran into Betty. I had known her since high school. You know, that corny   
high school sweet heart stuff. We had parted as friends, knowing that our lives were   
going in different directions, apparently they weren't. She had gone to law school and   
tried to become a lawyer, but things hadn't gone as she planned and she changed her   
mind. So we went out a couple of times, and realized, that why we both had changed, it   
was for the better. We like each other even more. So we started to get serious. In about   
two years we were living together. That's when we decided that we needed to get out of   
there. We had saved a lot of money, and we bought a small ship it. About 6 years ago we   
set off for space. We had been traveling together, Betty, Hercules (our dog), and I. Just   
moving from planet to planet, doing odd jobs. I made a fortune playing poker and other   
gambling games. It was a great life.  
"Then one day, after I made a killing off of some Ferangi scout ship pilots, we   
pulled out of orbit of Kumatran in the upper portion of the Alpha sector; we decided to   
explore a Nebula. It was one of the most beautiful things that I have ever seen. But it   
turns out that when a type 4 anomaly passes by a ship that is at one half impulse in a   
nebula of that type, at the exact moment a Ferangi scout ship fires a phaser at power 10, it   
can open what is known as a Galetron Emission Wormhole. Now these things have only   
been theorized, so if they were actually possible it had been a mystery up till then.  
"After a blinding flash of light we ended up here, in the bloody Delta quadrant.   
We tried to replicate the anomaly, but it was really impossible, so we just started on our   
merry way home.  
"Betty was confidant that we would return, but I knew that it was impossible. Our   
ship wasn't that fastest of vessels, and I knew that if I pushed it to the max it would still   
take us about 85 years to get home. I really didn't mind though. Everything that I needed   
was right here. I had my wife, my dog, and my ship. Life really hadn't changed, even   
though my location had. But Betty made me start to miss Earth. She said how she missed   
the people, and the oceans, and the trees. She was right. We needed to get back. So I   
knew that the only way was to find some kind of technology that would get us back to   
Earth faster. So we looked, and that's when we ran into the Borg.  
Finnegan paused to look up at the people in his company. He had prepared an   
earth meal of Caesar salad and Chicken Cordon Blue, but no one was eating, they were   
all to wrapped up in the story he was telling, giving him their full attention. At the   
mention of the Borg, Seven blinked and looked down at her plate. It made Finnegan   
almost sorry that he had mentioned it.  
"Well I won't get into gory details, but it ended badly, and I ended up widowed.   
So then it was just my dog and me. We traveled all around the galaxy. With my wife   
gone, I really had no urge to get home. So I just explored. I got to know the Delta   
quadrant. I got to know its cultures and its planets. I became especially enthralled with   
one culture. The Rublatons, well they are closest to the Klingons of any culture I've   
known of. Except there rituals are a little more extreme. They base their culture on honor   
and battle. I was examining this planet when I encountered a girl who had fallen into an   
icy patch of water and since I had no ties to the Prime Directive I dived in to save her.   
Her father showed up right when I pulled her out and out of gratitude he invited me into   
his family. I thought about the offer for a long time and decided to accept it. What did I   
have to loose. So, after a good while I became a respected member of the Rublaton   
community. I learned their culture and how to defend myself. I had found a home. This   
was about 2 years ago.  
"Soon I was instructed that I needed to take a wife. This troubled me a great deal,   
but I decided that I needed to get on with my life. I was interested in one woman who   
lived in the town I had grown up in. Her name was Pontessa. She was a magnificent   
woman. We courted for a while, and finally she asked me to marry. But I couldn't. It was   
as if I'd had a crisis of faith, as if I had awoken from a dream. I didn't love this woman   
the way I had loved Betty. I cared for her, but not a fraction of what I had felt for my real   
wife. So I departed. I realized that I had to make it home, if not for me for Betty, she   
would have wanted me to make it back. So I left the planet and started my journey back   
about a year and a half ago.  
"I had been wandering space until I picked up the slightest strange yet familiar   
signature. I double checked it to make sure, and then I discovered your ship, and I knew I   
was saved," finished Finnegan. He was sitting at the head of the table telling his tale to   
the Captain and her head officers. They were speechless.  
" That is quite a life you have lead Mr. Finnegan, and all by the age of 31,"   
Janeway said.  
"Well Captain I'm sure it pales in comparison to the stories that your crew and   
you could tell me," he said with a chuckle, " How did you all like the meal?" he asked.  
" It was wonderful," said Commander Chakotay. His appraisal was followed by   
the appraisal of the rest of the crew.  
"Well Mr. Finnegan, I have talked it over with the rest of my crew, and we have   
decided to ask you join us. You will not be a passenger and will be expected to work for   
your place. I'm sure that it won't be a problem," Janeway said.  
"Thank you Captain, I don't know what to say, thank you, I promise that I won't   
disappoint you," he said, tears swelling in his eyes.  
"I know you won't Mr. Finnegan. I have decided to assign you to the astrometrics   
lab, I think that your talents well be best utilized there with Seven," she said.  
Seven raised her eyebrow at this assignment, " Captain, don't you think that this   
is something that we need to discuss," she blurted out.   
"Seven, there is nothing to discuss, Mr., or should I say Dr. Finnegan has a   
doctorate in astrometrics. It is his best subject and the astrometrics lab is where he should   
be," she said.  
"Yes Captain," she replied angrily.  
Finnegan was clearly unhappy with this assignment as well, but knew better then   
to say anything to the Captain, " Dessert!" he blurted out to kill the tension. "I have   
coffee ice cream, I believe that's your favorite Captain?"   
"Why yes it is, thank you," she replied.  
"So everyone, tell me about yourselves," asked Dr. Finnegan, " I want to know all   
about my new family, and how the hell you ended up in this quadrant,"and so they told   
him.  
  
It was around 1 o'clock in the morning when everyone had left except for the   
Captain. This, Dr. Finnegan thought, was the perfect opportunity for him to express his   
reservations about working with Seven of Nine.   
"Well thank you very much Dr. Finnegan, the meal was excellent. How does 800   
hours sound for us to dock your ship tomorrow?" she asked, standing up to leave.  
"It sounds wonderful Captain, but if you don't' mind I have a question to ask of   
you before you go," he said.  
"Sure, go ahead and ask away," she responded.  
"It's about my assignment. Now I don't want you to think that I'm not grateful to   
you for accepting me into your crew or giving me a chance to work on Voyager. Being   
on a Starfleet ship has been a dream of mine for quite a while. The thing is, I'm not quite   
sure that Seven and I will be the best two people to work together," he said cringing in   
fear that he would aggravated his new leader.  
The Captain didn't say anything at first; she really didn't know what to say. She   
had noticed a certain tension between the two of them when they first meet each other   
earlier in the day. She also noticed it a dinner when the two of them made eye contact;   
they would glance at each and then turn away when they caught each other looking. They   
also had a couple disagreements when the conversation turned to quantum physics. She   
didn't really know Dr. Finnegan well, but this behavior was completely uncharacteristic   
of Seven of Nine.  
"Well Dr. Finnegan, I understand that you and Seven really don't seem to get   
along with each other, but you have only know each other for a day. Who knows what   
way the relationship will develop? I'm going to keep you in the lab for now, and we will   
se how it goes. Is that alright?" she said.  
"Yes, of course Captain. You are right," he said.   
She him the comm badge on her chest, " One to beam aboard," she then looked at   
Dr. Finnegan, " I'm very excited about your arrival Dr. Finnegan, and don't worry, we   
will get home. Energize!" she vanished.  
"I know Captain, I know," he said to himself.  
  
The next couple of weeks were exciting for Finnegan. His transition to the ship   
had gone smoothly. He parked his ship was in docking bay 4. Most of his possessions had   
been transfer to his quarters, along with his dog Hercules. Socially, he was doing well for   
himself. Tom and him had both figured out that they had an interest in the 20th century   
and its music and could frequently be found listening to some rock as they drove a '57   
Chevy through the USA circa 1973 in the holodeck. They also discovered that they   
enjoyed playing practical jokes on people. The combined team of Tom and Dempsey   
caused chaos in the lives of their targets. Poor Harry went to brush his teeth in his sink   
and found that his toothpaste had been replaced with blue dye. The doctor started to sing   
one day and discovered that his voice alga-rhythms had been replaced with those of   
barnyard animals.   
Finnegan also found that he and B'Elanna had a lot in common. They found   
themselves getting in deep conversations about Klingon culture. It was strange, but   
B'Elanna felt like Finnegan might as well had been more Klingon then her. He had such   
an extensive knowledge of the culture and respect for it as well.  
For three shifts each week, Finnegan would report to sickbay. Since he was highly   
trained in medical science, the Doctor was very appreciative of the additional help. While   
the Doctor was not the easiest person to get along with, Finnegan did a good job of   
gaining his approval and respect. Finnegan even convinced the Doctor to give him some   
further lessons in medical procedures so he could be an even larger assistance in sickbay.  
Every couple of nights, the Captain and Finnegan would meet for dessert in the   
mess hall, and discuss history. They would talk about their heroes and their childhood;   
they really would talk about anything at all. Janeway felt that she had found the brother   
she never had. Finnegan felt like he now had a sister.   
While socially he was getting along with almost everyone on the crew, he was not   
getting along with the one person that he truly needed to get along with. Seven of Nine   
and him had hardly been able to stay in the same room with each other for more then a   
half an hour without getting into a large argument about something or another. The first   
day they worked together they got into an argument about the nature of a nebula, the next   
day they fought about the route that they needed to take around the asteroid field the ship   
was approaching, these arguments got more and more petty as the days went on. It   
seemed like they were on a one-way track to killing each other.   
It was about a month after Finnegan had arrived on the ship. All had been going   
well on Voyager. Nothing disastrous had happened. There had been a few encounters   
with some alien vessels, but nothing bad had come from them.   
Seven and Finnegan were in the Astrometrics lab, surveying the planets around   
there area for dylithium sources.   
"So Seven, are you going to the diner tonight," Finnegan asked, simply trying to   
make small talk. Voyager had met up with a race known as the HonD'Kars. A strange   
race, with strange customs. Finnegan had heard of them only once when he was on   
Rublaton. He hadn't heard much of their customs, only that they could get quite wild   
when they celebrated things; otherwise they were a quite prosperous people.   
"I am required to go, so I will be attending," she said, not looking up from her   
work.  
He returned to his work. There was no point in trying to make a conversation with   
someone who clearly didn't want to talk, so he continued to survey the area, until he   
found something.  
"Seven, what would be the signature of dylithium crystal in its purest and most   
complex form," he asked.  
She walked over and rudely stepped in from of the computer station he was   
working on. Finnegan just rolled his eyes. He had gotten used to this behavior by now.   
He watched her as she leaned over the computer. He looked at the back of her neck and   
found his eyes wandering down her back, to her hips, to her …  
He snapped himself out of it. It was strange. There was no one on the ship that he   
would say he hated, but if he had to choose, it would have been Seven. They really   
couldn't stand each other. Yet there was this strange attraction that he just couldn't help   
but feel, and sometimes he thought Seven felt the same way. Sometimes he would catch   
her staring at him. Not the typical glare that he had become used too, but a stare that she   
would give him when he thought he couldn't see her.  
"This is amazing," Seven said facing him. Her lips were curving upward in what   
Finnegan came to recognize as Seven's version of a smile. "Do you know what you have   
found? Do you know what this means?"  
"Well, if it is what I think it is, then I just found our way home," he said. He   
really hadn't thought that he had found perfect dylithium, commonly known as the X-  
Crystal. He asked Seven because there was the slightest possibility that it was. He was   
right. He knew that if he and Seven both had the same idea, that it had to be right. They   
were going home.  
"Yes," she said, staring at him, not with the harsh eyes she usually used when   
looking at him, but the kindest eyes he had ever seen glance back from that face. " You   
have just found this vessel a possible way of getting home," she allowed a larger smile to   
sweep across her face. She was beautiful.   
Then it hit Finnegan as well. Home, he thought to himself, HOME!!!  
He ran over to Seven and rapped his arms around her. He was so happy he didn't   
care how awkward it was, and apparently she didn't either because she was hugging him   
back. It wasn't awkward till he put her down and they came face to face with each other.   
The looked at each other for a moment and then sheepishly pulled away.  
"We should contact the Captain, get her to come down here and check the data.   
We should get B'Elanna to check it as well," Seven said.  
"Yeah," he said, still looking at her.  
"Captain," Seven said, after pushing her comm. badge.   
"Yes Seven," the Captain replied.  
"Your presence is required in Astrometrics," she said.  
" I really hope that you haven't killed Mr. Finnegan over an argument Seven, I'm   
not really in the mood for bad news," she said.  
"I'm still here Captain," he said, still not taking his eyes off of Seven, who was   
now staring back at him, " and I don't think that you will be disappointed."   
"Good to here, I'll be there in a couple minutes," she said.  
Finnegan continued to look at Seven.  
"Can I help you with something Mr. Finnegan," Seven said. It wasn't that   
Finnegan was creeping her out; his stare wasn't the kind that creeps someone out. It was   
more the type of stare that made someone melt. That was why she felt uncomfortable.   
She wasn't used to dealing with what she was feeling and didn't really want to.  
"I'm sorry, I've made you uncomfortable. I was just thinking about something,"   
he said, finally breaking his stare.  
Seven wasn't as relived as she thought she would be when he stopped staring at   
her. "What were you thinking about?" she asked.  
"I was thinking that you and I really don't make that bad of a team and if we   
actually try to get along with each other, we might be able to get a lot done," he replied.  
Seven thought on this for a second. She knew he was right. There was some kind   
of chemistry between them and if they used it positively instead of negatively, it could   
have great results.  
"Seven, I was wondering, if, perhaps you would like to attend tonight's dinner …   
uh … with me?" he asked.  
Seven was completely taken off guard. She didn't have time to think about her   
response before her mouth uttered the words, " Yes."   
"Great, I'll pick you up around 1900 hours," he said.  
Before Seven could respond the Captain walked into the Astrometrics Lab.   
"So what's going on?" she asked.  
Seven couldn't speak. She was too preoccupied.  
"Well Captain, we have some good news," Finnegan said, leading the Captain   
over to the computer where they had made their discovery, "Some very good news."  
  
The Captain could barely hold back the tears of joy when she found out about the   
X-Dylithium. With its power the ship could maintain a speed of 9.99 light years for   
approximately 2 years. That could bring them 20000 light years in that amount of time.   
With that power, they would only be 10000 light years away from Earth. Janeway   
decided that she wasn't going to tell the crew, just in case the missions failed, or   
something happened to go wrong, as it often did. She didn't want to disappoint them.   
They have had far to many disappointments over the past years. Right now she was going   
to tell the senior staff, and that was all.   
They reacted as she expected. They tried not to show their joy, but it was evident   
in their eyes and in their smiles. Even though they had experienced countless   
disappointments, they still had hope that they would find a way to get home. The Captain   
became even happier by this. She really did have the best crew in Starfleet.   
As much she wanted to sit and rejoice with her crew, the Captain had a more   
pressing matter. One of the local planets wanted to negotiate a trade agreement and learn   
more about Starfleet. This was Janeway's first priority. She had to learn all she could   
about different cultures. It also helped that the X-Dylithium crystal was in an asteroid belt   
in there space. So the aliens were on their way to the ship for a diplomatic dinner, so to   
say. Janeway knew that this would be interesting. From what she was told the HonD'Kars   
were a lively people. They had a habit of drinking in excess, that is why Janeway decided   
to hold the little party in Cargo Bay 5 instead of the Dining Room. She had Neelix spruce   
it up for the guests.  
"He really did a wonderful job," she thought to herself as she stood in the room,   
making a last minute check of everything.  
"Captain," said Harry's voice over the comm., " Our guests are ready to beam   
aboard, please report to Transporter room 1."  
"I'm on my way," she said.  
  
Seven was on the verge of a nervous break down. She couldn't understand how   
all this had come to be. If a month ago someone had told her that she would be going on a   
date she wouldn't have thought the person was sane. And if someone has told her a week   
ago the she would be going to be going out with Dempsey Finnegan, she would have had   
him or her committed to sickbay. She still didn't believe it.   
After she got off duty, she only had an hour and a half to get ready. She really   
didn't know what to do with herself, so she went to sickbay, and reluctantly asked the   
Doctor for some assistance.  
He was at a consul when she walked in.  
"Hello Seven, can I assist you with something?" he asked her.  
"Yes doctor, I'm sure you recall our social lesions, I need your assistance for   
tonight. I have a date," she said.  
The smile on the Doctors face faded, " A date? Really? With who?"  
"That is irrelevant," she said, for some reason she didn't want to tell the Doctor   
who it was. He gave her a look, one she had come to know as his disapproving look. He   
usually directed it towards Tom, but now it was focused at her. She sighed, "Dr.   
Finnegan."  
"Dr. Finnegan? Really?" replied the Doctor.  
"It is as much of a surprise to me as it is to you," she said, "I'm really not even   
sure if I should be doing this, it seems… foolish."  
"How did this happen?" the Doctor said as he walked toward Seven, "I'm not   
insulting Dr. Finnegan, but from my last encounter with you two, which I would love to   
forget, you really didn't seem to be at relationship level to be dating. It seemed the you   
two would be more likely to be sparing or shooting at each other."  
Seven remembered this encounter as well. She had reported to sickbay for her   
weekly check up and the Doctor was busy with another patient so Finnegan had   
preformed the check up. They got into quite a colorful spat about the amount of time she   
spent regenerating. The Doctor practically had to sedate them. "Your right Doctor, I   
should call this off, it will just end badly. The paring of Dr. Finnegan and I is highly   
illogical," she said walking toward the door.  
"Seven wait," the Doctor said, "Obviously you were some what excited about this   
date or you wouldn't have come her to ask my advice. Now be honest, do you want to go   
on this date?"   
Seven paused. She wasn't sure what she wanted. She defiantly felt something for   
Finnegan. She defiantly was excited to go out with him tonight. She defiantly was afraid.   
She hated to have to deal with these feelings. She hated to leave herself vulnerable to   
being hurt by someone, but she knew that it was all part of being human. She had to do   
what her heart told her to do.  
"I suppose that I desire to go," she replied.  
"That's what I thought. So lets get you ready," he said.  
  
Finnegan wasn't doing any better.  
"Jesus Tom, I don't think that I have been this nervous since my high school   
prom," he said, taking a swig of some scotch that Nelix had replicated for him. It was   
actually quite tasty.  
"Man, just relax," Tom told him as he took a sip from his drink.  
"Relax, that's easy for you to say. Do you know when the last time I went on a   
date was, It was about six or so years ago, ok," he replied, taking another swig.   
"Well just think about Seven, on the last date that she went on, she ended up   
pulling someone's shoulder out. And how about Axum, the last guys she was interested   
in. She could only see him when she was dreaming and now he is halfway across the   
Delta quadrant. She is even more inexperienced then you," said B'Elanna. Finnegan   
watched as B'Elanna's hand wandered from her cup to Tom's hand.  
Finnegan knew that she was right. In fact he knew that it was going to be even   
more difficult for Seven.  
"You know, that's why I think I'm so nervous. I feel like I have to show her a   
really great time because she hasn't really had a successful relationship with anyone," he   
replied.  
"Whoa, whoa, now you're talking about relationships," said Tom, laughing.  
"What … no… you know what I'm talking about Paris," Finnegan said.  
"He is just being annoying Dempsey, ignore him," B'Elanna said.  
"And you wouldn't have me any other way," Tom said to her.  
"Well, you two, I'm going to go get ready, I'll see you later. Wish me luck," he   
said as he pushed his chair in and finished his cup.  
" Don't worry about it Dempsey. Seven wouldn't go on a date with someone if   
she weren't interested. And if you don't want to take her anymore you can always save   
me from going with Tom," B'Elanna said jokingly.  
"You're welcome to her," Dempsey heard Tom say as he walked into the hallway.  
Dempsey smiled. I used to have a relationship like that. When you couldn't stop   
touching each other, or looking at each other. Is that what I am looking for? Is that why   
I'm so attracted to Seven? Do I see that potential in our relationship? What about Betty?   
I can't believe that I am doing this. What am I thinking? Seven and I can barely talk to   
each other for five minutes and now we are going on a date with each other. I must be   
mad. But there is something about her that I just can't place. Something that makes her   
so attractive. She stirs up feelings that I haven't felt for a long time.  
Finnegan opened the door to his room, petted Hercules, and got in the shower.  
When he was done with the shower he began to change into his tuxedo. Since he   
wasn't a member of Starfleet he could wear whatever he wanted to the event as long as it   
was formal enough. Since he was partial to fashions of the twentieth century a tux was   
the logical choice. He had mentioned to Seven that he would be wearing it and she   
seemed to approve.  
It was about 15 minutes till 19:00 when Finnegan was finally ready to go out the   
door. He took one last look in the mirror and frowned at his image.  
"What have you gotten yourself into Finnegan?" he asked his reflection.  
"Wish me luck Hercules, God knows I'll need it," he said as he patted his dog on   
the head, grabbed a bouquet of yellow roses of his coffee table, and left his room.  
He didn't even remember getting on the turbo lift. He got on and got off of it   
without even realizing how close he was to her room. Then when he stepped into the   
hallway it hit him. He started to walk slower. He began to sweat. He was petrified. About   
two minutes after he got off the turbo lift, he found himself ten doors away from cargo   
bay 2, her quarters. Nine … eight… seven… Seven. He stopped.   
"Pull yourself together Finnegan," he said out loud to himself. What the hell is   
going on here? You have faced the Borg; you have faced Rublaton mastiffs and warriors.   
You have done this whole dating thing before. Why the hell are you having a problem   
now? Shape up!  
Determination surged through his body. This is no big deal. He could do it. He   
walked past the seventh door, the sixth, and the fifth. This is no problem at all. The third,   
the second, and the first. Then, he was there in front of her door. He hit the bell, the door   
opened, and all his confidence flew away.  
  
"He said that he was wearing a tuxedo from the twentieth century," Seven said to   
the doctor, "Does that mean that I should dress congruently with him, or was he just   
seeking my approval?"  
"Well, I'm sure that he wasn't asking you to dress a certain way, he probably just   
wanted to let you know, but it would be nice if we found you something from that time,"   
the doctor said, as he looked through Sevens wardrobe files on the computer.  
Seven paced back and forth in her quarters. The Doctor could have noticed he   
tension a mile away, even though she always seem to exude a tense persona. The Doctor   
had come to notice a lot about Seven in the past couple of years. He knew that he would   
always have feelings for her, and it hurt him to see her going out with someone else, but   
he knew there really was no chance for him and her. Even if she had the same feelings he   
had for her, he was a hologram. He often would joke to himself about his situation saying   
"Persistence, is futile". So he would be her friend, it was the next best thing. He liked   
Finnegan well enough, so if he could make her happy then that would make the Doctor   
happy. All this, however, was easier said then done.  
"Seven, it is very hard for me to concentrate while you are walking back and   
forth," the Doctor said, looking over his consul.   
She stopped and looked up, "I'm sorry Doctor, I'm just very… nervous,"  
"I understand, but you really shouldn't get so worked up about it. I'm sure that   
Dr. Finnegan is just as nervous as you are. It's been years since he was on a date," he   
said. The words seem to comfort her a little bit because she didn't resume her pacing.  
"That is a good point," she said.  
"Ahh, her it is, this dress will be perfect for you," he said. Seven walked over to   
look at his choice. When she saw the pale blue dress, her initial reaction was rejection.   
She was not the dress wearing type of girl, but after she thought about it she decided that   
it was a good choice and she also didn't want to hurt the Doctor's feelings.  
"Well, what do you think?" the Doctor asked.  
" It is acceptable. I shall comply," she replied.  
The Doctor's face lit up, "Perfect, now all you have to do is let down your hair   
and you are all set. I leave you to get ready and I shall see you at the reception. Good   
luck."   
Just as the Doctor reached the door Seven called out to him.  
"Doctor," she said.  
He paused.  
"Thank you," she said.  
"It was my pleasure Seven," he exited the room, "It is always a pleasure."  
  
It didn't take Seven long to get ready, in fact it didn't take Seven long to do   
anything. She got changed, fixed her hair, and waited. At about 5 minutes till the date,   
she started to feel a strange feeling in her stomach. Anxiety. She began to pace again. Up   
and down the room. She thought of calling and canceling, but she knew that was not only   
rude, but impossible. She had to go tonight. She was so involved in her own thoughts that   
the sound of the bell at her door caused her to jump. She whipped herself around and   
faced the door.  
You are Seven of Nine. You have dealt with far more difficult crisis then this and   
you must get a hold of yourself.  
She opened the door.  
  
Finnegan could hardly speak. He knew that Seven would look good, she always   
looked good, but he hadn't expected her to be so gorgeous. Her hair was down, which   
gave her a gentleness that her usually tight bun took away. She also was wearing a gown,   
which made her look even more radiant. He stumbled for words.  
"Uh … um… hello… uh… you look… wow… I mean, you look wonderful, I …   
uh… flowers, here, I got you flowers," he handed them to her.  
Seven could barley speak as well. She hadn't ever seen anyone in a tux, or at least   
took time to notice it. Yet now she couldn't help but notice how handsome Finnegan   
looked in the suit.  
"Thank you," she said as she took them, "I should probably put these in water,"   
she said walking toward a counsel in the center of the room and placing them in a   
container. She walked over to the replication and ordered a cup of water.  
"I know that you probably think flowers are irrelevant but I thought old cargo bay   
2 could use another beautiful life form," he said smiling. I am the biggest dork in the   
galaxy. He thought to himself.  
Seven felt embarrassed, she knew that she was blushing, " They are very lovely,   
thank you."  
"Well I, uh, guess we should get going," Finnegan said nervously.  
"Yes, I suppose so," she replied.  
They both stepped outside and walked in the direction of the turbo lift. They got   
on and began toward their destination. Things were awkward, silent. Finnegan couldn't   
stand it anymore.   
"Turbo lift, stop!" he said. The turbo lift jolted to a halt.  
"What are you doing?" Seven asked. She was surprised to say the least.  
"Listen Seven, I just want to say this to you before we continue with tonight. I am   
unbelievably nervous. I can't remember a time when I have had this much anxiety. I   
haven't done this in a while, so I'm worried that I'll mess things up, and that's something   
that I don't want to do because… well I think I really like you Seven. So if the whole   
night is just going to be a weird silence between us, I really thing that we shouldn't waste   
our time, because I know that it would crush me to know that you didn't have a good   
time tonight. So what do you say? Can we both just relax and have fun?" he said.  
Seven was shocked by his bluntness, but did appreciate it; she never really   
understood the human trait of subtlety.  
"That is a good idea," she said as a slight smile crept over her face.  
  
" Hello Captain, I am Ferakhal Deet, Captain of the HonD'Kar Confederation   
vessel Frantka. This is my first mate, Bolarian," the man pointed to a large man to his   
left. Bolarian was so large that it would have surprised Janeway, if Ferakhal weren't   
larger. The men reminded her of the Indiana football players that she had gone to school   
with. She smirked as her memories flew back to a night when she had actually gone on a   
date with one of them. She had thought he was so large but the men in front of her could   
have plowed right threw a defensive line filled with the boys she had known without even   
breaking a sweat.   
"Welcome to the USS Starship Voyager of the Federation. I am Captain Janeway   
and it is an honor to have you aboard this ship. I hope that you enjoy the festivities we   
have planned. I believe that you mentioned that you have some plans for the night as   
well," she said. She had to strain her neck to make eye contact with the man. He stood a   
good foot and a half taller then her. The HonD'Kars had the physical structure of   
humans: legs, arms, head. There skin was dark and two large horns stuck out of their   
head near the peak of their foreheads. They reminded the captain of the troublesome   
Puck.  
"Yes Captain, that is true. I hope it is not a problem, but our traditions are held   
high in my culture," he said.  
" It is not a problem at all. The whole purpose of our mission is to explore new   
life and civilizations. We are on a mission to learn," she responded.  
"That is nice to hear Captain, but I warn you, our festivities are not for the faint of   
heart," he said almost patronizing the Captain.  
"Well Mr.Deet, you will find that my crew is anything but," she said, her   
competitive smirk rising to the surface.  
A wide grin spread over Ferakhal's face, "Ha ha, I see now that you humans are a   
competitive lot, that makes up for your inferior physique I suppose."   
Normally the Captain would have taken this comment as an insult, but she knew   
that was not the intent, " You wait and see, we can hold our own it whatever you can dish   
out," she said.  
The Captain turned her head when she heard the door open. She could hardly   
believe what her eyes were seeing. Entering the room was Seven of Nine. This was not so   
surprising because all senior officers were supposed to attend the function. Yet Seven   
was dressed up with her hair down. This may not have surprised that Captain if it weren't   
for the fact that Seven had brought a date, and that date was Finnegan.   
"This ship just gets weirder and weirder," she said under her breath. She walked   
over to the two of them.   
"Hello Seven, Finnegan," she said, nodding to them each.  
"Hello Captain," Seven said.  
"What's up Captain? How are the HonD'Kars?" Finnegan asked.   
She could see the anxiety in his features. He was a wreck. She laughed to herself.  
"They are an interesting lot. Very ethnocentric, but they seem to be a good   
people. It's very important that we participate in their traditions, they seem to be an   
important part of their culture," she said.  
"Whoa, Captain, I don't know if that's such a good idea. Their traditions might be   
a little to much for us," Finnegan said.  
"Well that shouldn't be a problem, I have trust in the crews abilities," she said,   
sounding somewhat annoyed at Finnegan's dismissal of the capabilities of the crew.  
"Yeah, well how capable is the crew at drinking cause that's what all the   
HonD'Kar's traditions are based on," he said smiling.  
"What?" Janeway said in disbelief.  
"Yeah, I heard this one story of when they made the chancellor of this planet   
drink an entire barrel of ale before they would sign a trade agreement. The guy was so   
wasted that he vomited all over his wife. The HonD'Kars were so amused they sent his   
wife a whole new wardrobe. They are a good people, they're just like a big fraternity," he   
said. Finnegan then realized that he was talking about vomiting. He was sure that was a   
dating no-no. He turned toward Seven expecting to see disgust in her eyes. She simply   
raised an eyebrow at him and smirked.  
" Sorry, I'm sure you all didn't want to here about vomiting," he said sheepishly.  
"Oh God, I think that I may have inadvertently brought the crew into a binge   
drinking contest," she said.  
" Why Captain, what did you say to them," Finnegan asked.  
"Oh something along the lines of 'we can hold our own'" she said.  
"Okay, well then. It looks like we are all going to be getting a little saucy   
tonight," he said.  
"This should be interesting," Seven said.  
Nothing could be closer to the truth. Tuvok was left in charge of the bridge, but   
the rest of the senior staff was at the party, along with about 30 members of the crew, and   
11 HonD'Kar representatives. About hour after Seven and Finnegan entered the party,   
half of the people there were drunk, including Harry, Janeway, and Chakotay. Tom was   
well on his way and B'Lanna was showing typical Klingon resistance to synthohol after   
drinking the same amount as Janeway, and was feeling little.  
Finnegan and Seven were in the corner, looking miserable.  
Seven looked to Finnegan, " I have noticed that you are still on your first drink, I   
have seen you drinking in the mess hall, why aren't you drinking now?"   
"Well I'm not going to drink if your not going to, it's just not polite," he said to   
her.  
"I do not understand," she said curiously, "how is that not polite?" she questioned.  
Janeway stumbled over toward them. Finnegan was actually surprised to see how   
well she was holding herself. She had drunk more then she could handle and yet still   
managed to command respect. Some people have just got it. He thought to himself.  
"How are you two doing?" she asked.  
"Well," said Seven, but she was lying. She wasn't having fun, and she knew   
Finnegan wasn't to blame. She was being what Tom would call a "party pooper". She   
was curious to see what synthohol would do to her, but she didn't want to make a fool of   
herself. Then she caught Finnegan's eyes. He was staring at her. She was surprised. She   
figured after the boring evening they had had so far, he would no longer be interested in   
her, but he was. The look her gave her was the same that he had given her earlier in   
Astrometrics when he had asked her to the party.   
"In fact, I'm having a marvelous time," she said, grabbing a drink from the bar   
and pounding it down.  
"That a girl Seven, way to be," Janeway said, she then turned to rejoin the party.  
"Whoa Seven, what are you doing?" Finnegan asked in amazement.   
"I am exploring my humanity," she said, " Lets go dance," she said grabbing his   
hand.  
"Ok," he replied, finishing his own drink.  
  
The Voyager crew had so far impressed the HonD'Kar, but when Finnegan and   
Seven took to the dance floor, they were in awe. About an hour after her first drink,   
Seven had consumed about 5 more, Finnegan about 8. They were both feeling pretty   
good. Finnegan had managed to gain control of the music and quickly tapped into his   
own personal music files. Soon various songs from the 20th and 21st century were   
streaming out of the speakers. First they swing danced to several hits from The Glen   
Miller Band. Then Finnegan tried to teach everyone some dance called "The Hustle". It   
didn't work out that well, but that didn't really bother anyone, they were all having the   
time of their lives. Even Seven.  
B'Elanna approached Seven while she was taking a well deserved break in the   
corner with a glass of wine. Finnegan was dancing with the Captain to a song called "I'll   
Be There". The Captain was laughing at Finnegan and he sang along with the lyrics.   
Seven was watching with a smile on her face.  
" Don't worry, I think they are just friends," B'Elanna said jokingly.   
Seven hadn't realized she was there and was startled by her comment. "Oh, I   
wasn't Lieutenant," she said. B'Elanna had probably drunk more then Seven and the   
Captain combined; yet she still maintained her composure.   
"I know, I was just joking," she replied with a large grin. Maybe she isn't that   
sober, Seven thought to herself.   
"So Finnegan is a very talented man," B'Elanna said said, pryingly.   
"Yes, he seems to have many skills," Seven replied.  
"The crew hasn't had a good time like this since … well I don't think we have   
ever had a time like this. Even your having a good time, but I guess it helps that your date   
is the life of the party," she said.  
"Yes, Dempsey does seem to be supplying this party with a great deal of   
excitement," she said almost proudly.  
B'Elanna just smiled.  
"What? What are you smiling at Lieutenant?" Seven asked.  
"He he, nothing," she said, still not wiping the smirk of her face.  
The song was now over, Finnegan complemented the Captain on her dancing   
abilities and turned to Seven.  
"Hello Seven, you wouldn't perhaps be in the mood for a dance would you?" he   
asked innocently.  
"I would enjoy that," she said, placing her arm in his.  
"Computer, pleased play "I Only Have Eyes For You" The Flamingos" he said   
this and the song came on.  
My love must be a kind of blind love.  
Seven and Finnegan began to dance.  
I can't see anyone but you.  
They danced.  
Are the stars out tonight?  
They stared into each other's eyes.  
I don't know if it's cloudy or bright.  
Other people began to dance.  
I only have eyes for you dear.  
They didn't seem to notice.  
The moon may be high.  
They just continued to stare into each other's eyes.  
But I can't see a thing in the sky.  
I only have eyes for you.  
And lean closer …  
I don't if we're in a garden  
Or on a crowded avenue.  
And closer…  
You are here, and so am I   
Maybe of millions of people go by  
But they all disappear from view  
Until they were just a few centimeters away from each other.  
And I only have eyes for you.  
And then…  
A large HonD'Kar, the first officer Bolorian, tapped Finnegan on the shoulder and   
practically pushed his way between the two.   
"May I cut in?" he asked, not really asking because he left Finnegan no choice, he   
basically forced him out of the way, picked up Seven, and started dancing to a song   
called "Girls Just Want To Have Fun". Finnegan was flabbergasted. He made his way   
through the dance floor and tapped Bolorian on the shoulder.  
"Excuse me, but I was kind of in the middle of something," he said.  
"Piss off little man, I am dancing with this beautiful lady," Bolorian replied, not   
even turning to face him.  
"Well actually that beautiful woman you are dancing with is my date, so I would   
appreciate it if you would leave her…" Finnegan didn't get to finish his sentence because   
of the large fist that connected with his face. He flew across the dance floor and landed   
on a table, shattering it.  
The party froze, all except for Bolorian, who continued to dance with Seven.   
Seven just continued to dance in shock. She couldn't believe what had just   
happened. She tried to look over Bolorian's shoulder to see if Finnegan was ok.  
"If you do not release me now, I will be forced to make you wish you had never   
met me," Seven said coldly, glaring into his eyes.  
"Pipe down woman," Bolorian replied.  
"Very well," Seven said, she was about to raise a swift knee to Bolorian's groin,   
but she didn't need too. He was suddenly wrenched from her arms and smashed up   
against that wall. It was Finnegan.  
"I believe the lady said to let her go," Finnegan was furious, there was a stream of   
blood coming from his lip. His eyes were so intense their orange hazel color was almost   
on fire. He gripped the man by his collar and Seven quickly noticed that with one arm, he   
was effectively holding the almost 350 lbs. Bolorian off the ground.  
Bolorian looked back in amazement, "How is it possible?" he uttered through his   
choking breaths, "The only man that can with stand my blows is my Captain, I have   
never met a man who hasn't not been rendered unconscious with one blow."   
"I think you owe the lady and apology," said Finnegan.  
"Put me down and we will decide that like warriors, I challenge you," he said.  
The Captain had been watching this in awe. She turned to Deet.  
"Aren't you going to stop this?" she asked.  
"It is not my battle to stop," he said to the Captain as if it was obvious that he   
could do nothing.  
"Well if you aren't going to stop this, I will," she said, "Mr. Finnegan put that   
man down. There will be no fighting on my ship," she said.  
Deet moved toward her, "Captain, it does not speak well of your people if you   
cannot defend your honor.  
"Captain, its ok," Finnegan said. His anger turned into determination. His little   
argument would not prevent the ship from getting what they needed to get home. These   
people had been so nice to him, he wasn't going to disappoint them. He lowered Bolorian   
to the ground and got in a fighting pose.  
Bolorian smirked. "I like your fire little man, this will be interesting."  
Bolorian immediately bull charged Finnegan, ramming his massive shoulder into   
his stomach and running him up against the wall. Finnegan crumbled to the floor.   
Bolorian was sure he heard a rib or two crack and smiled in his victory, but Finnegan rose   
again.  
"Tougher then I thought," Bolorian said. He then swung a right hook and then a   
quick left. Finnegan dodged both, but didn't dodge the head butt right to his nose. Blood   
began to trickle out of his nostrils. Finnegan stumbled, but then straightened himself.   
Bolorian moved forward and jabbed. Finnegan shuffled out of the way and landed a hook   
of his own. The Voyager crew cheered, but Bolorian shook it off.  
"Good punch," he said sincerely, " but you will have to land more then one to get   
me down."  
"No problem," Finnegan replied.  
Finnegan struck first this time, nailing Bolorian in the stomach. This was just   
what Bolorian was waiting for. He grabbed Finnegan and lifted him over his shoulders.   
He then tossed him into the wall. Finnegan landed hard on his left arm and cried in pain.   
Bolorian turned around and faced the crowd in victory; he had failed to learn that little   
could keep Finnegan down. Finnegan tapped him on the shoulder and dodged his right   
hook as he turned around to connect it with his face. Finnegan the proceeded to land   
punch after punch into Bolorian's stomach and face. Bolorian didn't have enough time to   
react. Soon he found himself dazed and hardly able to stand. Finnegan was standing in   
front of him, ready to fight for hours more, or so it seemed. Bolorian shook his head and   
tried to shake off the pounding head ache he was having and the tremendous urge to   
sleep, but he couldn't and the last thing he remembers from that night was the sight of the   
floor rising up to meet him.  
When he hit the ground, there was a short silence. The crew didn't know what to   
do. Would the HonD'Kar seek revenge?  
Captain Deet stepped toward Finnegan. The crowd held their breath.   
"Mr. Finnegan, that was the most skillful fighting I have seen in a long time. I am   
amazed that someone of your size could take that much of a beating and still be able to   
defeat my first officer. I have seen him tear bigger men then you in half with his bare   
hands," he said patting him on the shoulder. "Captain Janeway, I grant you full passage   
through our space and I will recommend to my superiors that we make an alliance with   
The Federation. You may also mine the X substance that you talk of. If the rest of your   
crew is as impressive as this man then I know that you are a good race."  
The Captain didn't know what to say. Weirder everyday, she thought to herself.  
Finnegan stumbled over to Seven, " Are you ok?"   
"Am I ok? I really don't think that is the relevant question right now, I'm not the   
one who just got thrown by a four-hundred pound man," she said in disbelief.  
"Oh I'm fine, super healing factor is just part of the genetic enhancement deal, but   
if you don't mind I would like to go back to my room and change, I think he ruined my   
tux," he said with a small smile. Seven figured it was all he could muster, because even   
the slightest curl in his lips seemed to cause pain. She was wondering how he could stand   
up at all.  
"Captain will you excuse me?" he asked.  
"Yes Mr. Finnegan, and I will need to have a talk with you tomorrow," she said.  
"I understand," he replied.  
Finnegan walked out of the room and rounded the corner. The second he was sure   
he was out of view of anyone he collapsed against the wall. He knew he had a broken rib   
or two and that his arm was fractured. He was also pretty sure that he had a concussion.   
He sat there against the wall for a couple minutes and tried to regain some of his strength.   
You are the biggest moron in the entire world. What the hell are you going to do now?   
You can't even get up? Finnegan tried to rise, but so much pain shot through him that he   
let out a little whelp. He fell to the ground again.  
"Hello?" Finnegan heard a voice from around the corner. Someone was out in the   
hall, but who?  
"Is someone there?" the voice asked again. He immediately recognized it and   
cursed under his breath. Of all the people to come out of that room and see him curled up   
in a weak little ball of pain it had to be Seven. Finnegan immediately tried to get up. He   
forced himself to get up, stumbled and hit his broken left arm against the left wall, cried   
out in pain, fell, slammed his head against the wall, and blacked out.   
  
When Finnegan woke up he was in sickbay. He was lying in a bed, looking up at   
the Doctor's face.  
"What's up doc?" he asked, laughing to himself, he doubted anyone on the ship   
had ever seen Bugs Bunny, but he thought it was funny anyway.  
"What, besides your desire for self-destruction?" the Doctor said, clearly   
annoyed.  
Finnegan was is no mode for the Doctor's holier then thou opinions, "Listen Doc,   
I don't need this right now. I don't regret what I did, that guy was harassing Seven and I   
did what any gentleman would have done," Finnegan's eyes narrowed, " and something   
tells me you would have done the same Doctor," he said with a small level of spite.  
The Doctor's smug face vanished. "Why would you say that?" he asked, playing   
dumb.  
"I'm sorry Doc, that wasn't fair of me, I didn't mean it," Finnegan really didn't   
mean it, he was just mad, "You wouldn't mind filling me in on what happened after I   
passed out, would you?"  
"It's quite all right Mr. Finnegan. Well after you slammed your head against the   
wall you went unconscious. Seven had left the party and heard your scream. She rushed   
around the corner and found you lying there. She then called sickbay and we did a site to   
site. Your condition was not good. Had you not been genetically altered there would have   
been some permanent brain damage. You had three cracked ribs and a broken arm and   
nose. I'm surprised that you managed to walk out of there," the Doctor said.  
"So am I," Finnegan replied.  
"I want to keep you in here for another day, but you should be able to return to   
work tomorrow, your healing capabilities are amazing. By the way, the Captain would   
like to talk to you, she should be here in a few minutes," he said.  
"Oh, did she sound angry?" he asked.  
"Let's just say… she was less then pleased," the Doctor replied.  
"Great," Finnegan said.  
  
"Mr. Finnegan, what were you thinking?" the Captain asked once the Doctor had   
deactivated his program to give them privacy. She looked like hell, which didn't surprise   
Finnegan because of the level of intoxication that she had reached last night.   
"Captain, that man was harassing Seven, when I politely tried to help her and get   
him off of her, he hit me," Finnegan said in his defense.  
"So you started some barbaric battle to prove who was stronger, that is   
ridiculous," she said.  
"Captain, I know about the HonD'Kar, they are all about honor, if I didn't fight   
the man we would have never been able to get the X-Dylithium. I had to do it," he said.  
"Is that why you did it then? It had nothing to do with a certain blonde ex-Borg?"   
she asked.  
"Captain, do you really think that Seven is impressed with such things, cause I   
don't, in fact I wouldn't be surprised if she was infuriated with me because of my   
behavior," he said.  
"Finnegan, I'm going to let this slide, only because Bolorian struck you first and   
Seven was being harassed, but you have to understand that fighting will not be tolerated   
on my ship, and if anything like this ever happens again I won't hesitate to throw you in   
the brig for a week," she said.  
" I understand Captain," he said.  
"By the way, impressive right hook, you'll have to teach that to me someday," she   
said, a playful smirk spreading across her face.  
"Well I'm out of here tomorrow, how about after our dessert?" he said, returning   
the smile.  
"I'll see you there," she said.  
"Oh and Captain, try replicating Finnegan Supplement 3beta alpha. It'll get rid of   
that hangover right quick," he said, still smiling.  
The Captain just shook her head and left.  
  
Seven didn't know what to do with herself. When she had found Finnegan out   
side of the cargo bay, she thought he was dead. She knew that he wasn't, she could detect   
his heartbeat and his breathing, but this tremendous fear came over her when she saw him   
lying there. So she ran to his side, checked for a pulse, even though she knew it was   
there, and had him beamed to sickbay. She then returned to her quarters. She was nervous   
wreck. She wasn't sure if Finnegan was ok, she had never actually worried about   
someone this much, and the emotions didn't really agree with her. Soon she found tears   
streaming down her eyes, she was helpless to do anything to help him. She wiped the   
salty discharge from her eyes.  
"Why am I letting this man do this to me?" she thought. " I have become weak   
with affection. What was he thinking? I was fully capable of defending myself," soon   
Seven's concern turned to anger. " His behavior was illogical and foolish. It was prideful   
and rash." By the time Seven was called to sickbay she had made the decision to end her   
relationship with Finnegan. She couldn't possibly pursue something with a man who   
would do something so stupid.  
When Seven walked into sickbay and saw Finnegan laying on the table with his   
shirt off, the possibility of a relationship didn't sound so illogical, but she quickly   
reaffirmed herself to her goal.  
Finnegan noticed her and sat up a little, "Seven, how are you?" he said in a meek   
voice.  
"I am undamaged Dr. Finnegan, the more pertinent question is how are you?" she   
asked.  
"Oh I'll be ok. It seems I owe you a thank you… and an apology," he said to her.   
"If you hadn't found me I might have had some permanent damage. I also want to   
apologize for you having to find me, and for my behavior, it must not have been   
pleasant," he grimaced.  
"I will admit that I found your behavior… unusual. What I don't understand is   
why you simply didn't ask for medical assistance when you were in the presence of the   
crew," she said.  
"Well, I guess it all boils down to human pride, and I know that you understand   
that Seven," he said.  
" Yes, I do," she said, raising her eyebrow.  
Finnegan smiled, he really loved it when she did that, " Well anyway, I just   
wanted to tell you that I had a remarkable time last night, before I got the snot beaten out   
of me, you were a wonderful date, and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did."  
" I had a wonderful time last night, but…" before she could finish Finnegan   
interrupted.  
"Well great, I was wondering if maybe you would like to try it again sometime,   
we can find a nice holo-deck simulation or something," he said, smiling at her, "just the   
two of us."  
His smile made it almost impossible for Seven to say what she wanted to say, but   
she went on, "but… I feel that we should terminate our social interactions," she said, her   
face showing no emotion.  
"What? Why? You just said that you had a good time last night, why would you   
want to terminate the relationship?" Finnegan was extremely confused by her sudden   
change in mood.  
"I was upset by your actions, I found them illogical and irritating. It was as if you   
were treating me as your own property. This chivalric notion that you had was highly out   
of date and offensive. I do not need to be saved Mr. Finnegan," her argument was   
unconvincing.  
"So you just want to end it then, like there was nothing there, like there were no   
feelings between us?" he was still confused and he tried to find the answer in Seven's   
eyes. He stared at her for a couple seconds and realized that her eyes were red, and that   
there were salt streaks going down her soft white cheeks. He reached out his hand and   
gently touched her face where the tears had left their imprint. "Have you been crying?"   
he said, his voice heavy with concern.  
Seven pulled away slowly, she couldn't handle his touch; she knew that she had   
feelings for him but she couldn't let herself have this, it was a weakness.  
"You've been crying. I… I'm sorry, I don't know why you were crying but I have   
an idea. I would have been upset too, if I was in your position and you were in mine," he   
said.  
The words hit Seven like a ton of bricks, he cared for her too, and he knew how   
she was feeling. "I'm sorry Mr. Finnegan, but we cannot continue this relationship," she   
stood fast to her plan.  
Finally Finnegan realized what this was all about, " That's what this is about isn't   
it. It had nothing to do with my behavior, it's because you're afraid," his concern voice   
had a tinge of anger now, similar to how Seven had felt earlier.  
"Fear is irrelevant," she said to him, she was starting to get angry as well.  
"Don't give me that irrelevant bull shit, were not talking about some calculations   
or some assignment, we are talking about us, Seven," he said.  
"And I am telling you that there is no us," she was beginning to boil.  
"Why is that? Because your leaving yourself open to get hurt, that's what being   
human is about Seven, that's what relationships are about," the argument was starting to   
seem like one of their previous ones, except this time, the topic was a tad bit more   
serious.  
" I no longer wish to continue this talk with you, or this relationship, and perhaps   
you should consider that it has something to do with your personality instead of thinking   
that it is my fault," Seven regretted it the second it came out of her mouth.  
Finnegan frowned, but he was silenced. Seven started to walk away.  
"Seven," he said, quietly and meeker then before. She turned and walked toward   
him, knowing that he couldn't really get up. He did anyway and clumsily walked toward   
her. "When we danced last night, before we were interrupted, I thought… I know that I   
felt something, something that I haven't felt in a long time. I always wondered if it would   
ever happen for me again. When I lost Betty to the… when I lost her I never thought that   
it would," he paused and looked at her. She was completely enveloped in what he was   
saying. "Then I met you," the pain was reverberating in his voice, "please don't waste   
this chance for both of us, just because you are afraid, you'll regret it."  
He continued to stare into her eyes. Seven opened her mouth, but it took   
sometime for the words to find their way, " I must go," she said as she ran to the door, the   
familiar salty discharges filtering through her tear ducts.  
Finnegan sat back down on the table, held his head in his hand, and stared into the   
blankness that was filling his mind with pain.  
  
Seven had held them back from sickbay to the turbo life, from the turbo lift to   
cargo bay 2. When the door shut behind her, she had to sit down and let the tears flow.   
She felt physically ill. There was a pain in her stomach and in her chest.   
What Finnegan had said had made sense. She knew that. She was surprised that   
he had figured her out, had she been so obvious? She knew the answer to that. She hadn't   
been, he had just known. He had been able to read her like a PADD. That realization sent   
a chill down her spine. How had a man she had known for only 5 weeks gotten to know   
her so well? After she thought about it for a few minutes, a realization came to her; she   
knew Finnegan just as well. She could tell when he was lying; she could almost sense   
what he was going to say next, it was uncanny.  
"This means nothing," she said to herself.  
"What means nothing?" a little voice asked from behind her. Apparently she   
hadn't really said it to herself.  
Seven turned to see Naomi Wildman holding a toy of some kind.  
"Naomi Wildman, you should not be in here without my permission," Seven said,   
not really angry, but with clear exhaustion.  
"I'm sorry, I left my toy in here and I wanted to come and get it so you wouldn't   
be mad at me for leaving it," she said.  
Though there was a clear age difference, Seven still felt she had a strong   
connection to the youngest member of the Voyager crew. They were both learning about   
humanity at the same time. To a passer-by, it must have seemed silly to see the tall and   
shapely ex-borg standing next to the young and playful child, but Seven had always   
enjoyed her company, and found her innocent opinions insightful. Seven had also noticed   
that Naomi had taken an almost instant liking to Finnegan.  
"It is alright, just make sure that the next time you want to enter my room, I am   
here when you do," she said.  
"What means nothing?" she asked again, smiling at Seven.  
" It is not important," Seven said.  
"Seven, "Naomi said, moving in front of her, " were you crying? You look like   
you were crying," she said.   
"I was not crying, my cortical node was simply malfunctioning, but I have…   
corrected it," she said.   
"Oh, ok," Naomi, said. Yet instead of leaving, like Seven believed she would do,   
Naomi stood there and continued to look at her.  
"Is there something else that I can help you with?" Seven asked.  
" Well, actually, yeah. Is it true that you beat up Mr.Finnegan?" she asked.  
Seven raised an eyebrow and felt the corners of her mouth begin to tug into a   
smile, " That is an interesting rumor, it is untrue however, where did you here that?"   
Seven asked, looking down at the wide eyed youth.  
"Well I heard that he got beat up, and I knew that you were going with him to the   
diner, so I guess that I kinda made the connection," she said.  
Seven knelt down to Naomi's level, "You have a very active imagination Naomi,"   
she said.  
"Well how was it then?" she asked excitedly.  
"How was what?" Seven asked.  
"You're date silly. Did you have a good time?" she asked.  
"The date was enjoyable," she said, turning colder at the mention of the subject.  
"Did you dance?" the little girl asked.  
"Yes, we did dance," she said.  
" Is he a good dancer?" she asked.  
"Yes, his skill level was sufficient," she said.  
"Wow, so when are you going out again?" she asked.  
"We are not continuing the relationship, I have decided to terminate it," she said,   
starting to do some work on a PADD she had picked up off one of the tables in the room.  
"But why?" she asked, her tiny head trying to figure it out.  
"I have decided that a relationship would interfere with my duties to the crew and   
would be inefficient," she said.  
" Oh…" she paused, " I don't get it."   
"Elaborate," Seven commanded.  
" If you like him, and he likes you, and the Captain is ok with it, why wouldn't   
you go out with him again," she asked, scratching her head.  
" It is beyond your understanding, if you will excuse me, I need to start my shift   
in Astrometrics now, good day," she said, walking to the door.   
"Ok, have a good day Seven," she said skipping down the hallway.  
Seven shook her head; the attraction between her and Finnegan was obvious to a   
child. "Maybe I made an error," Seven thought to herself. She shook it off. It was too late   
now anyway, the damage had been done. She would just have to forget about her feeling   
for Dempsey Finnegan and go on with her life.  
  
"Great job Captain," Finnegan said, trying to sound encouraging after she   
executed a right hook onto the holographic image. He failed, if it had been someone other   
then the Captain, he might have been able to fool him or her, but not the Captain; she   
could read him to well.  
"Thank you Mr. Finnegan, but you don't need to humor me," she said, breathing   
heavily from the work out.  
"Sorry Captain, it's not you, you've got a right hook that could knock out   
Muhammad Ali, I'm just a little distracted, that's all," he said. That was an   
understatement. He had started working shifts today, and luckily he was only scheduled   
for a shift in sickbay. He knew, however, that tomorrow he was going to be in   
Astrometrics for two shifts, and he was less then thrilled.  
"I've noticed," the Captain knew why he was so distracted as well. Ever since he   
had arrived she had noticed Seven of Nine acting out of character. The idea of her having   
an actual relationship with him was almost laughable, but when she had seen them at the   
party, when she had seen them dancing and seen the smile on Seven of Nine's face, she   
knew that a relationship was very possible.   
"I'm assuming this has something to do with Seven," she said, wiping the sweat   
from her brow.  
"Good guess," he said.   
"What's the problem, you seemed to having a great time at the party, till you were   
interrupted," she said.  
"Yeah, that's what I thought," he said.  
"Hmm, she ended it?" Janeway asked.  
"Yeah, she said that she had to end it because she couldn't be with someone who   
would do such a foolish and prideful thing. But I knew that wasn't the real reason. I told   
her that she just didn't want to put herself out there, she didn't want to risk getting hurt.   
Captain, I know that she is new to all this, but she is making a big mistake, we could be   
so happy, but… she…" he trailed off.  
"Well whatever is going on between you two, you have about a month to resolve   
it," she said.  
"Why is that?" he asked inquisitively.  
"The planet where the X-Dylythium is located behind an asteroid belt, we have to   
travel to it at impulse speed, it will take a month. You, Seven, and a couple other   
members of the crew are going to the planet to excavate it," she said.  
"Oh," Finnegan said, his voice empty.  
"Finnegan, Seven still has a lot to learn, maybe you were rushing it a little. There   
is still time to work this out. Just because Seven says it's over doesn't necessarily mean   
that it actually is," Janeway said, trying to comfort the man.   
"I know Captain, I just have to convince Seven of that," he said, "now how about   
some coffee ice cream," he said, a smile spreading his face. Janeway took his arm and   
they exited the holo-deck for the mess hall.  
  
The next month went by awkwardly for Seven and Finnegan. They managed to   
grin and bare it, but not without a good share of awkward moments. By the time of the   
mission, they had resumed the relationship that they had before the date. In fact it was   
even worse then before.  
"What are you doing?" Seven asked Finnegan as he programmed some   
information into the computer in astrometrics. They had five days until their mission to   
the surface of the M-Class planet that had their quick ticket home. Finnegan brought forth   
a topographical map of the surface. On it was red streaks that represented the precious X-  
Dylithium.  
"I'm reviewing the surface of the planet so I can think of the best way to excavate   
the X (as they had come to call it)," he said, not taking his eyes of the screen. He had   
become used to Seven's constant need to question what he was doing. He understood that   
she had worked almost by herself in the Astrometrics for more then 4 years, but that still   
didn't make it any less annoying.  
"I have already assessed the most efficient way of mining the X, there is no need   
for you to go over that data," she said, she began to type in the command to remove the   
image from the screen. It disappeared.  
"I know that, but I want to look at the information as well since we are both   
equally in charge of the mission, I just want to see if there is something that you haven't   
seen," he said, putting the image back on the screen, the agitation rising in his voice.  
"I highly doubt that I have missed something," she said, glaring at him as she   
again removed the image from the wide-screen.  
Finnegan rolled his eyes, " I know that you highly doubt that you have missed   
something, I don't think that you doubt anything you've done, well most of the things   
that you have done," Finnegan paused, hoping she would detect his sarcasm, he noted   
that she did when she raised her eyebrow. Finnegan looked away, it still got to him. "But   
I just want to double check so if you would please stop being such a control freak and let   
me examine the schematic I would appreciate it," he said, almost slamming the computer   
commands to bring the image up for a third time.  
"Fine, if you feel the need to review my work the go ahead, it is an inefficient use   
of your time," she said, turning her back to him and working on a PADD.  
"Fine, if you feel the need to review wa wa wa na," Finnegan said in a mocking   
manner to himself.  
"I can hear you, my Borg technology increases my hearing senses," she said,   
"Idiot," she muttered under her breath.  
"I can hear you too, genetic enhancements!" he said. He couldn't wait for this   
week to be over.  
  
Finnegan, Seven, Paris, and Tuvok sat in the shuttle, approaching the M-class   
planet that would hopefully posses their ticket home.  
"We are approaching the asteroid belt surrounding the planet," Seven said, voice   
as monotone as ever.  
Finnegan looked over at her. "I'm glad she ended it," he thought to himself, " It   
would have never worked anyway, she is just to stubborn. I'm not ready for a serious   
relationship anyway, if I wasn't ready 2 years ago, then why would I be ready now. What   
about Betty, what would she think about me falling in love with an ex-borg. You only fall   
in love once anyway, screw love, I don't need it anymore."  
"Mr. Finnegan, please scan for the nearest X source," Tuvok commanded.  
"Oh, there is one at the following coordinates, I'm sending them to your consul   
Tom," he said, distracted.  
"Mr. Paris, slow to one-quarter impulse as we enter the belt," Tuvok said.  
Tom snickered, " Are you kidding, I can easily maneuver this belt at full   
impulse."   
"Be that as it may Mr. Paris, One quarter impulse will do just fine," he said,   
Finnegan had to give Tuvok credit, it was hard enough being a Vulcan, but on a ship such   
as this, where emotions seemed to run rampant, it must have been driving him crazy.  
Tom slowed the ship to one-quater impulse and they entered the belt. It was   
smooth sailing until they were about 500km from the ships atmosphere.  
"I'm picking up some abnormal gravimetric readings," Seven said as the ship   
began to jostle around.  
"Could it possibly be the X-Crystals," Tuvok inquired.  
"Well its possible," chimed Finnegan, " but we wouldn't be reading them   
unless… Oh my God, Tom turn around, right…" Finnegan never finished the sentence.  
  
"Captain, there is something wrong with the shuttlecraft," Harry said from his ops   
position on the bridge.  
"What seems to be the problem Mr. Kim," she replied, the concern heavy in her   
voice.  
"I'm not sure, it seems that gravimetric distortions are interfering with the ships   
main navigational systems…" he paused, "Captain the ships lost control, they are losing   
orbit and being pulled toward the planet," he said.  
The Captain leaped out of her seat, "Harry, can you get a lock on them for   
transport."  
"I can try, but the X is interfering with their bio-signatures, I'm only getting a   
lock on two of the away team members," he said.  
"Bring them back here Ensign," she said, her voice a mixture of relief for the two   
people that were safe, and the two whose fate was unknown.  
  
When Finnegan woke up, he found himself standing in a strange room. It was   
dimly lit; he could barely make anything out. There were two figures standing in front of   
him, so familiar yet he couldn't make them out. His parents, it was his parents. They were   
pointing, pointing somewhere to his right. To a door. He hadn't noticed it before, but   
there it was. He walked toward it. When he went through it he found himself in a huge   
room filled with machines of some kind. It was so cold and strange. It was the inside of a   
Borg cube. He heard voices, the Collective. He began to walk for what seemed like   
forever. The he saw someone out of the corner of his eye, to his right. He turned to find a   
Borg drone standing next to him. It was another familiar figure. The voices began to quiet   
and one voice permeated through them all. It was Betty's voice, the drone was his wife.   
She began to speak to him, the voice was hers, but the voice of the collective as well, so   
many voices making one.  
"Dempsey, come to me, give me your hand, come with me," she said, "You will   
always be a part of me, you can't escape me," she said, extending her hand, a hand that   
was completely human, in contrast to the rest of her cyborg body.  
Heat, he felt heat, he looked away from Betty to what was directly in front of him.   
An explosion, it was cascading toward him like a wave toward the shore, but something   
was wrong, it was moving so slowly.   
The left, something was moving to the left of him as well, he faced it. It was   
Seven, standing in the dress she had worn on their "date". Something was different with   
her as well. She was totally human, her Borg implants were gone.  
"Come with me if you want to live," she said extending her hand, a human hand   
as well, devoid of the normal glove like metal implants, " Give me your hand Dempsey."  
Finnegan snickered, "You never call me Dempsey."  
The explosion was accelerating toward him, getting closer and closer, faster and   
faster. Finnegan had to make a choice, he had to grab a hand, but which one, the decision   
was so hard to make, it was hurting his head.  
"Dempsey, you must come with, you belong to me," Betty said, her voice louder   
then before, more of the Collective participating.  
He looked at Betty, Betty the Borg; she was still beautiful. Guilt swept over him,   
he made the wrong choice, she was still beautiful even though she was a Borg.  
"It can happen again," Seven said. He looked to her; she was beautiful as well.   
They both were, but who should he chose.  
The explosion was almost upon him. He could feel the heat on his face, the sweat   
dripping from his brow. He had to choose. He reached out and grabbed a hand.  
  
His eyes opened and he found himself in another strange place. He was on board a   
ship, but it wasn't flying. Where was he? What was he doing her? Wasn't he just   
somewhere else? He tried to think of where he just was, but any thought about it was   
drowned by the enormous amount of pain that was shooting through his body. Something   
was wrong with him. He couldn't think straight. He was hurt. He must locate the source   
of his pain. He began to examine his body. His hands probed his head and he felt a large   
welt, that explains why he was having trouble thinking, why he was unconscious. He was   
asleep, he was dreaming, but what about. He stopped thinking about that again, partially   
because of the pain, and partially because of concern. Concern about what? About who?   
That's it, there were other people on the ship with him, there were others that were   
trapped in here, but who? Tuvok, he was here, but for some reason Finnegan wasn't   
concerned about him, him and Tom, Tom was also on the ship, but Finnegan didn't seem   
to have any fear for them. They were… they were gone. Faint images of them   
dematerializing before the crash flooded his memory. If they were gone, why was he   
worried? There was someone else. There was Seven. She was here. But he had just seen   
her a couple seconds ago. The dream, she was in the dream, she was there and so was   
someone else.   
Finnegan forced himself to get up; he had to find her. Pain shot through him again   
and he fell to the ground. He had forgotten that he was injured, somewhere else besides   
his head. He examined his body again. The torso was fine, his arms. He scanned his right   
leg with his eyes, everything seemed normal. It was his left leg that caught his attention.   
There was something wrong with it. It was supposed to be smooth, but there was a large   
piece of metal sticking out of his thigh. He cringed at the sight of it. His instinct told him   
to rip it form his body, but his knowledge of medical science told him better, he would   
have to leave it in until he injected a glutagen to stop the blood flow, or he would slowly   
bleed to death, and he knew that he had to get Seven now, but why? The he realized what   
was going on around him. There was fire slowly burning in the front of the cabin. The   
heat, he felt the heat on his face, the sweat on his brow, images of his dream flew into his   
mind.  
He forced himself up, screaming in an attempt to release the pain in his leg. He   
knew that by leaving the shrapnel in his thigh he was damaging the muscle even more,   
but he had to get Seven, if she was still alive to get. He hobbled over toward the helm and   
looked over the railing.  
She was lying there, out cold, leaning up against that partition between the helm   
and the rest of the ship. Finnegan knew that he wouldn't be able to walk all the way up to   
the helm, down the three stairs, to her, and then carry her to the rear of the ship so he   
slumped down and reached for her over the partition. He wrapped his arm around her   
waist and began to hoist her up. His efforts caused blood to squirt from his wound and   
pain to shoot up his spine, stabbing at his already injured brain. He felt himself loosing   
consciousness again, but he fought it, it couldn't happen, they would both die if he didn't   
stay awake. So he pulled her, with all his might. He hoisted he limp body on top of his   
own and began to drag Seven and himself to the rear of the cabin on his back. He went   
toward the hatch and hit the door release. It simply beeped.  
The door was not working. There was no way out. They were going to burn to   
death. There was nothing he could do.  
But there was something he could do, the fire system. Why hadn't he thought of it   
before. All he had to do was manually activate the fire system. He dragged himself to the   
closest consol and began to type in commands. Nothing, the consol was damaged; he   
would have to go to the other one. He flopped to the ground and began to drag himself   
again. He began to breath heavy; the air was becoming unbreathable. He made it to the   
consol and typed in the codes. Coolant began to fill the compartment and the fire slowly   
went out. He had done it, they were safe for now.  
He hobbled over to Seven and checked her pulse, he wasn't even sure she was   
alive. He felt it. Tears began to stream from his eyes. He had saved her.  
He stood up and tried to carry her to the medical station in the rear of the ship and   
placed her on the table. Then he grabbed a hypo-spray and injected it into her neck. Her   
eyes fluttered. She looked at him, Finnegan thought he saw a smile.  
"Don't worry, your not in heaven, and I'm not an angel," he said, she just raised   
an eyebrow, " Well not the kind with a halo anyway, maybe more of the guardian type."  
"What happened?" she asked.  
"It was my fault," suddenly Finnegan remembered everything that happened, " It   
was the X. I didn't realize that it emits a different type of radiation the regular dylythim. I   
didn't compensate for it in the sensors and in the shields, it totally distorted are systems.   
Asteroids were hitting us and we didn't even realize it until it was to late. It's all my   
fault," he said.  
"It was not your fault, it was our fault, we were working on this together,   
remember," she said. She looked at him with caring eyes, eyes that slowly went from   
kind to appalled, " Mr. Finnegan, your leg!" she shouted.  
Somehow, Finnegan had totally forgot about his injury. He looked at his leg and   
was reminded of its impaled nature.  
"Hand me that hypo-spray," he said. Seven grabbed it, amazed at his pain   
tolerance. He shot it into his leg and put it down.  
"You might want to turn around for this," he said as he gripped the metal shard.  
"You will need someone to apply pressure to the wound when the object is   
removed, you will probably be in to much pain to do it, so I will," she said, slowly getting   
up and grabbing a gauze pad.  
"If you insist, I'd appreciate it," he said.  
"Is there any anesthetic," she asked, looking at the hypo-sprays.   
"Forget it, if we need to get out of her, I'm going to need to be all here, an   
anesthetic would just make me a problem," he said, " You ready?"   
"Are you?" she asked.  
"I hope so," he said. He gritted his teeth together, tightened his grip on the metal,   
and yanked it from his leg. This time when he slept, he didn't have a dream.  
  
When Finnegan's eyes opened, he found himself lying on the bed in the medical   
alcove of the Delta Flyer. Seven was at the consul nearest to him. When he stirred, she   
turned to face him.  
"You have been unconscious for 56 minutes, I assume you slept well," she asked   
him.  
"Very well, thank you," he replied, "what seems to be our situation," he asked,   
swinging his legs around to sit on the bed. He noticed that his leg was wrapped carefully   
and that the bleeding had stopped. "Oh, by the way, thanks for taking care of my leg," he   
said.  
"No, thank you for taking care of me, it must have been difficult to carry me from   
the helm with you leg in that condition," she looked down to the floor, then looked up at   
him, her eyes seemed to be glistening in the dim light of the Delta Flyer.  
"I understand how you felt, when you found me in the hallway after the dinner,"   
he said to her.  
She looked back at him, surprised.  
"I felt the same way when I saw you lying over there, it wasn't the best thing that   
I've ever seen," he said.  
Seven shifted, uncomfortably, " Most of the system are off-line, we will have to   
completely realign most of the systems in order to get thrusters back online," she said.   
Finnegan nodded, he then realized how cold it was in the shuttle, "Why is it so   
cold in here," he asked, rubbing his upper arms to try to generate warmth.  
"I shut off environmental controls to preserve energy, the temperature in her is   
several degrees warmer then that of the planet," she said, continuing to work on the   
consul.  
"Ok, well we will need to get them back online, the temperature here can drop to   
–25 degrees Celsius on the planet at night, that's pretty damn cold," he said.  
"That is impossible, I have already rerouted that system, it is being used to charge   
the thrusters," she said, not being bothered by what Finnegan had said at all.  
"Well what the hell are we supposed to do in 6 hours when the temperature drops,   
is there even any blankets in here. I mean I know you are part Borg, but even you can't   
handle that cold with just your… cat-suit… body-thingy," he said.  
Seven stared at him coldly, rolling her eyes, " I am aware of that Mr. Finnegan, I   
took that all into account before I took the environmental controls off line. There is one   
large blanket in the survival kit, and several flares. There is also a thermal pad on the   
medical bed," she said, still working at the consul.  
"Ok then, I guess you can have the bed, and we'll split the blanket," he said.  
"That will be insufficient for our needs," she replied, looking up at him, he   
thought he saw some distress in her eyes.  
"Well the what the hell are we going to do?" he asked, utterly confused.  
"We will need to use each other's body heat in order to maintain the proper body   
temperature," she said, not looking into his eyes.  
Finnegan couldn't stop himself from letting out a laugh. Seven eyed him, eyebrow   
raised.  
"I'm sorry Seven, but this is probably the most awkward situation I have ever   
been in, I just can't help but laugh," he said, composing himself.  
"I do not understand while people use humor to cover up their discomfort," she   
said shaking her head, and returning to work.  
"I'll explain it to you later, I feel like we're going to be down here for a while   
anyway," he said, walking up to the consul next to hers, tapping on the screen, and   
starting to figure out just exactly how they would get out of the mess they were in.  
  
The Captain finished up her third cup of coffee, her nerves were on edge. People   
in her crew were in trouble, as they were so often, and she had to make sure that they   
were safe before she could get a moments peace.  
"What is the situation Mr. Tuvok, what happened to you guys down there?" she   
asked from the head of the table in the ready room.  
"It seems that the X radiation affected all our systems and caused the Delta Flyer   
to go out of control," Tuvok said, " The radiation also effected the transporters, which   
explains why you could only get a lock on Mr. Paris and I."  
"Can you tell me anything about Finnegan and Seven's situation before you left?"   
she asked.  
"There really is nothing to say, they were both standing at their stations when we   
were beamed out of there," Tom replied.  
"We have adjusted sensors to compensate for the radiation and have picked up   
their two life forms on the planet, we tried to beam them out but we will need to get   
closer," Chakotay said.  
The Captain looked into his eyes, those eyes that had given her so much strength,   
she needed that strength now. She had grown to know Finnegan and appreciate his   
company, if something were to happen to him, so soon after he joined her crew, on his   
first away mission, she wouldn't be able to forgive herself. Then there was Seven. Seven   
had become like a little sister, or even a daughter to Janeway, she couldn't imagine   
returning to Earth without her. Janeway had so much to show her, so much to teach her.   
She looked into Chakotay's eyes and some weight was lifted of her shoulders, some level   
of understanding was reached. They were alive, that was a good sign. For some reason   
Janeway knew that Finnegan wouldn't let anything happen to Seven, no matter how he   
had been acting toward her lately. And she knew that Seven would do the same for   
Finnegan. She knew Seven, better then anyone on the ship, and she had seen them dance.   
Despite her level of intoxication she knew that there was something going on between the   
two of them.  
"Chakotay, do you think you can send a message to the ship," she asked.  
"It's not possible, to much interference," he replied.  
"How about if you send it to Seven's cortical node," she replied, "perhaps on a   
frequency that could penetrate the interference."  
"It's possible," he said.  
"Good, Tuvok, Harry and you get to work, the Doctor too, he should be able to   
help you with the cortical node frequencies," she said, "B'Elanna, Tom, and I will start to   
figure our how we are going to get our selves closer to the ship," she said.  
They group dispersed and went their separate ways.  
Janeway got up and walked to the replicator, "Computer, one cup of coffee.   
Black."  
  
Seven and Finnegan had been working for three hours straight, comparing data,   
repairing systems, trying to figure a way out of their tiny little prison. It had been   
difficult, they had experienced many disagreements, but they both knew that if they were   
going to get through this they needed to be civil with each other, there was no place to go   
if one of them blew their tops and they weren't sure how long they were going to be stuck   
in the Delta Flyer on this unknown, uninhabited planet.  
Finnegan was tired and sore. There was nothing that he wanted more then to get   
out of the shuttle that he was stuck in, "Seven, how are those sensors going," he asked for   
what probably was the fifth time in the three hours they had been there.  
"You are the most impatient man I have ever met," she said, " but fortunately for   
you that sensors will be on momentarily," she said, not picking her head up from her   
work.  
"Thanks Seven, you are just the most efficiently swell person," he replied in a   
mocking tone, giving her the thumbs up. She simply rolled her eyes at him. This type of   
banter had been going on between them for the past couple of weeks, since a couple days   
after their date. When Seven first thought of returning to work with Finnegan, it made her   
feel sick to her stomach. She just remembered what he had said to her in the sickbay   
before she had walked away from him. She remembered how he had told her that he   
thought he had found love again and how she would regret her decision.  
At first she had, and perhaps she still did. When she arrived into astrometrics the   
first day he was back, and saw him working at his station, she almost felt the urge to run   
up to him and apologize, to tell him that she had changed her mind. That all changed   
when she saw how cold he was being to her. Seven understood that he was hurt, and he   
had reason to be mad, but she had guessed that they would at least remain friends. It was   
not so, they began to bicker more then they had before they had gone on the date. The   
only problem was that the unsure feelings that she had when she was around him before   
were now identified. It was attraction that she had felt for him, that was clear; he was a   
handsome man. He was tall, dark blond, a strong build, and smile and hazel eyes that   
could melt a girl. Seven had been attracted to him right away, but that was only   
physically. After the date, she knew that it was more then physical, it was so much more,   
and that's why she had to end it. When she had seen him lying in the hallway she had to   
almost grab the railing to keep herself up. Pain flowed into her, the same pain that she   
had felt not so long ago when she was ripped away from Axum, she couldn't go through   
that again, she wouldn't allow it. Yet now she was trapped in a shuttlecraft with a man   
that she was strongly attracted to, and she believed to be attracted to her. She didn't know   
how long the would be stuck on the planet. Part of her wanted to get off the planet right   
away and return to the safety of Voyager where she could hide from him and from her   
feelings. But there was a part of her that wanted to be stuck on the tiny little shuttlecraft   
forever.  
"So what's up with the sensors, Miss Efficiency?" Finnegan asked again. Maybe   
not forever.  
" The sensors are scanning the area," she said, she finally looked up to find   
Finnegan staring at her, but not really seeing her.  
"Is there something wrong?" she asked.  
"No, I just had this dream earlier and I'm trying to remember it, I think that you   
were in it," he said, straining his brow with thought.  
"I think that your dream is somewhat irrelevant at this time, we have a problem,"   
she said.  
"Ok, what is it?" he asked walking over to the consul and leaning over to look at   
it. When he leaned over he pressed against Seven's side. He paused and Seven thought   
she felt him shudder, but it could have very well been herself shuddering, or the both of   
them.  
"Oh great," he said when he had read that data. " We're under and damn lake, I   
guess we're just going to have to stay in her until Voyager can come and get us. We're   
just lucky that there weren't any hull breaches."  
"I don't think that Voyager will be able to transport us out of her with the   
radiation," she said.  
"So what are you suggesting, that we swim out of here or something, cause there   
is no way that we are going to be able to get thrusters back on line, no way," he said.  
"That is exactly what I am suggesting," she said.  
"Seven, the surface is 150 meters above us, there is no way that we will be able to   
hold our breaths for that long, I mean, and even we could, do you know how cold that   
water is, we wont survive it," he said, gesturing with his hands.  
"There is one pressure suit that was not damaged in the fire, you will wear it to   
the surface, I will swim it, and when I reach the surface I will quickly put the suit on and   
warm myself," she said.  
"Oh there is no chance in hell that I am going to let you do that, you'll wear the   
suit and all swim it without it," he said, Seven could see that this was not going to be   
simple. He was a stubborn man, but she was stubborn as well.  
"Mr. Finnegan, it is illogical that you would be the one to swim without the   
pressure suit, my physiology is better prepared to handle the cold then …" he cut her off.  
"Seven, first of all, my body is just as ready for the cold as yours is, second of all   
you know that I am not going to go out of this shuttle with that pressure suit on so you   
can just agree with me or we can both stay in here," he said, his voice carried a tone that   
indicated he was not going to budge from his opinion.  
"We will discuss this in the morning, we cant leave until then anyway, it is to cold   
to do it tonight," she said.  
It was cold, in fact they were beginning to see their own breath forming misty   
clouds when they talked, it was going to be a long night. Finnegan looked at Seven as she   
went back to work. How could he be expected to "share body heat" with her, be pressed   
so closely against her for an entire night, all alone. It was going to kill him. He was so   
intense in his thought that he didn't notice Seven flinch when she got a message from   
Voyager through her cortical node.  
"Seven, this is the Captain, I hope that you are getting this, we have devised a   
plan to transport you, but it possesses a very small window of opportunity, you must   
make it to these coordinates in four days, I hope that you can make it, Janeway out," that   
was all the Seven received, along with a set of coordinates 16km from where they were.   
They could easily make it there in 4 days, if they could just get out of the shuttle.  
  
Janeway had never been more proud of her crew. They proved themselves to her   
time and time again, without fail. The Captain, Tom, and B'Elanna had been examining   
the asteroid belt for hours when they finally found their window of opportunity. There   
was one section of the asteroid belt where the asteroid field was less dense then the rest.   
A couple well-placed phasers shots and they could fly the ship into orbit, the only   
problem is that they could only stay there for about 15 seconds before asteroids would   
start slamming into the hull. Then it would only be another minute till the shields failed.   
It didn't leave much time. The Captain had Chakotay and Tuvok send a message to Seven   
to go to a set of coordinates that were at the highest point on the planet. This way there   
was less chance of failure. Yet the Captain knew that with her crew, with her people,   
there was no chance of failure, or at least she hoped it.  
  
Finnegan and Seven were uncomfortable, and it had little to do with the fact that it   
was 20 degrees below Celsius. It was mostly because they were sharing a small bed with   
each other, cradled in each other's arms, trying to go to sleep.  
Sleep, however, was nearly impossible for Finnegan; there was no way it was   
going to come to him while he was this uneasy, no matter how tired he was. So he tried to   
break the awkwardness with the only way he knew how.  
"Seven," he whispered. She was lying to his right with her upper body curling   
somewhat over his; her head was resting on his chest.  
"Yes," she said, she sounded wide-awake, and Finnegan wondered if she had   
been having the same problems too, but then another thought came to him.  
"Wait, Seven, can you even sleep at all? I mean, don't you need you regenerator,   
how long can you go with out it," he asked. Fear began to spill over him. What if   
something happened where they were stranded on the planet, if Seven didn't regenerate   
she would die, and then he would have to watch her as she slowly lost her life.  
"I should be fine for the remainder of this trip, I can go several days without it,"   
she said.  
"Well, what if the Captain doesn't get us out of here, what will happen to you if   
we have to stay on this planet," he asked.  
Seven could sense that he was worried for her and some overwhelming need to   
comfort the man whose arms were holding her prevented her from letting him know the   
truth, "I am Seven, I will adapt," she said.  
Finnegan smiled, he knew that she was just saying this, but he smiled anyway   
because it was still comforting. There was another long silence, until Finnegan broke it   
again.  
"Can you sleep?" he asked her in a whisper.  
"I am capable of sleeping, though it is an inefficient way to recharge my body,"   
she said.  
"No, no, no. I meant can you fall asleep now, cause I can't for the life of me fall   
asleep," he said.  
"I am finding it difficult to fall asleep as well," she said.  
"Are you cold?" he asked her.  
"No, I am not cold at all," she said. In fact, she thought she was a little to warm   
for the situation she was in. She had noticed that once she lied down she had felt   
surprisingly warm and secure.  
"Ok then, if we aren't falling asleep we might as well make use of the time we   
have, tell me something about yourself Seven," he said.  
"Excuse me?" she asked, slightly confused at the topic he had chosen to discuss.  
"Well I told you how I got her, and I know bits and pieces of the story of how you   
got here, but I've never heard you tell it. I understand that it's painful, so if you don't   
want to share you don't need to," he said.  
Seven shifted slightly, "I don't really remember that much about it. My parents   
were scientists who came to the Delta quadrant to explore. They discovered the Borg and   
recklessly decided to investigate. They put our family in danger for the conquest of   
knowledge. My mother schooled me and most of my time was spent reading. I remember   
my sixth birthday party, they sung 'Happy Birthday Annika', and then I was assimilated.   
My memories from being in the collective… there is too much information to explain.   
Then, after the Borg made a treaty with Voyager against Species 8472, I was chosen to   
represent the Borg. When the Borg no longer needed Voyager, I attempted to assimilate   
them and Janeway severed my link to the Collective, I have been on Voyager ever since."  
"Wow, you know, we have a lot in common," he said.  
"Explain." she asked/commanded.   
"Well we both have clear issues with our parents. You are mad at them for putting   
you in danger by bringing you close to the Borg. I'm mad at my parents for getting me   
the genetic surgery that got me kicked out of Starfleet. Different, but the same," he said.  
"You're parents simply believed that they were doing the best for you," she said,   
trying to comfort him, she knew that it was a sore topic.  
"Yeah, but they weren't thinking, they acted like children. Here's an example. As   
a little kid I once made my parents breakfast in bed, but I took the term a little to literally   
and actually tried to make them breakfast on their bed, I mean I threw some pancakes and   
syrup onto the bed, some eggs, it was a mess," he said.  
Seven let out a little chuckle.  
"Was that a laugh I just heard?" he asked, surprised by the reaction he had gotten.  
"Yes, the story was entertaining," she said.  
"You should really laugh more often, it suits you more then you think, and it's   
good for you," had said. He paused. "Well anyway, back to the story. My point was, that   
while I was trying to do something nice for my parents, it really wasn't a good thing and   
it had consequences. It was slightly excusable though, because I was only 6, but my   
parents were 32 when they got me the surgery, there is no excuse for what they did," he   
said, his voice filling with pain and anger.  
" Perhaps, but I have realized that love can make a person blind to the   
consequences of their actions," she continued, " You should consider yourself lucky that   
your parents are still alive and that they are still there for you," she finished.  
"That's true, I often wonder, when we get back, if I should go and see them. Betty   
always told me that she was going to make me, that I couldn't go my entire life without   
contacting them, that I would regret it if something was to happen to them," he said, "but   
ever time I think about it, I get so mad."  
"Then perhaps you are not ready to think about it," Seven replied.  
"I think you are right. What about you?" he asked.  
" What?" she asked.  
"If you could see your parents again, would you forgive them?" he asked.  
Usually if someone had asked her this question, she would have just blown them   
off, telling them that it was none of their business or that she did not wish to discuss that   
matter, but there was something about Finnegan's voice and the situation they were in   
that made her want to tell him.  
"I really haven't thought about it, I suppose that it would be very difficult to   
forgive them," she said, her voice quivering a little because of the subject matter.   
Finnegan must have noticed it, because she felt his powerful arms slightly tighten their   
grip around her, it gave her strength. " Nevertheless I believe that it would be possible,"   
she said, " Sometimes I find myself wondering what my life would have been like if my   
parents and I hadn't run into the Borg. I imagine that it would be normal, that I would   
have the normal childhood that everyone else seems to have had. Sometimes I envy the   
people who had this kind of a childhood, I envy the stability that they were raised with,   
because it is something that I can never have. I have grown a lot since I regained my   
individuality. I have matured. Yet the fact still remains that I am a woman, with the   
emotional maturity of a child." When she ended she couldn't believe how much she had   
said. She had never told anyone about any of the feelings that she had just told Finnegan,   
not even the Captain. Suddenly she started to feel sick to her stomach, coldness began to   
envelope her.  
Finnegan's words broke the silence, "Seven, I don't think that you give yourself   
half the credit that you deserve. You have affected so many people on Voyager. Every   
one of the people on that ship considers you a member of their family. Trust me, I've   
noticed it and I have only been here for a couple months. You have touched so many   
lives. You are probably the most amazing person that I have ever met, and I know that I   
will never be the same after having met you. Do you know how much strength it requires   
to do what you have done, to face the trauma that you have had to face?"  
Seven didn't say anything. She turned herself over so she could face Finnegan. He   
was staring into her eyes, sympathy and concern filling his own. Seven simply nestled   
herself closer to Finnegan and her eyes began to water.  
"Thank you," she said through the tears, "Thank you."  
  
Tom Paris was nervous, not that he would ever admit that to anyone. He was   
nervous because he would have to pilot the large Intrepid-Class ship known as Voyager   
into an asteroid belt for a long enough period of time to transport his two friends and   
shipmates off of the planet they were currently stranded on. He was nervous because his   
skills would be tested and if he failed then the 150 or so members of the Voyager crew   
would be destroyed in horrid collision of asteroid and metal. But this is what Tom Paris   
thrived on; the anxiety and the fear would allow him to do his job best.  
The plan was simple, in theory. He would simply have to move the ship into the   
clearing that Tuvok established with the phasers. Then he would have to make sure that   
Voyager moved along with the current of the asteroids and minimize the amount of   
collisions. In theory it was almost obvious, but in reality it was not that simple. The hull   
could only take so many collisions, and Tom had to make sure that it was there long   
enough to get a lock on Finnegan and Seven through the radiation. Tom had three days to   
prepare himself for this task, and he was more then ready for it.  
  
Seven's eyes fluttered open and she found herself face to face with Finnegan. In   
their sleep they must have rolled into this precarious position. Seven's forehead was   
pressed against Finnegan's; their noses touching, their lips dangerously close. Seven   
could feel the stubble on Finnegan's unshaven cheeks. The thought of staying there, just   
like that for the rest of the day brought a smile to Seven's face, but it was quickly wiped   
away when she remembered all that she had said last night. She carefully pulled her head   
away from Finnegan's, embarrassed by how she had acted, but quiet enough not to wake   
him. She had revealed too much and would apologize for placing such a burden on   
Finnegan by telling him her emotional problems.  
Seven waited till he woke up. For a half hour she simply watched him sleep. It   
was probably the most soothing half hour of her life, since the time she had been   
disconnected to the Borg. She watched him as his chest rose and feel with each breath.   
He was so peaceful, and that peace transcended itself to her. Soon his eyes began to   
flutter, and he awoke.  
"Good morning," he said as he opened his eyes to see Seven looking back at him.   
Finnegan could think of a better image to wake up to. Last night had been a big step for   
Seven, and he was so glad that she had taken that step with him. She had opened up, and   
talked about some of the problems that had been plaguing her since she regained her   
humanity.   
"Good morning," she replied.  
"What time is it?" he asked, sitting up in the bed and smacking his head against   
the low ceiling above the medical bed. "Ow, son of a…"  
Seven smiled, "It is 8:30," she said as he got out of the bed, rubbing the pain away   
on his head.  
Seven stepped off the bed and walked toward the other side of the ship, she   
tapped at the consul. "According to my calculations the warmest time of the day will be   
at 13:14. We would want to emerge from the lake at some point before this time," she   
said.  
"Sounds like a good plan, I guess we should head out of here around 12:30. We   
can get our stuff together till then," he replied, opening on of the compartments and   
browsing it with his eyes.  
"Mr. Finnegan, I would like to talk to you about last night," she said looking   
down.  
Finnegan stopped looking in the cabinet and directed his attention to Seven,   
"What about it?"  
"I would like to apologize for my behavior, and to thank you for your patience, it   
was unprofessional of me to tell you of my personal problems," she said.  
Finnegan shook his head, "Don't you get it?"  
Seven looked up at him, surprised by this response, "Get what?" she asked.  
"That's what I want to be," he said, a smile across his face.  
"You want to be part of my personal problems?" Seven asked, confused.  
Finnegan chuckled, "No, I want to be the person you tell your personal problems   
to. Seven, I know that what you did last night was something that you don't usually do,   
especially to someone that you have only known for two months. I was honored that you   
trusted me enough to say all of that stuff. You don't need to apologize for talking to me,   
and listen, if you ever just want to talk, to vent, or just hear the sound of you own voice   
for a while, don't give a second thought about coming to see me, it would be my   
pleasure," he said, smiled at her, and then went back to scanning the cabinet for supplies.  
"I do not understand you," she said.  
Finnegan again paused from his work and looked at her, "Why not?"   
She walked closer to him, almost up in his face, "You and I constantly antagonize   
each other. Our relationship is at best comparable to two small children that are   
constantly at edge with each other. Several weeks ago I did, with regret for your feelings,   
something that I believed to have hurt you a great deal, yet you remain friendly and kind   
to me, despite our past. It confuses me. A logical response would be anger or resentment,   
yet you show none of these reactions now."  
Finnegan's brow furrowed in thought as he thought of his response to Seven's   
query.  
"I don't know how to explain our relationship Seven, but here's a question that   
might help, if you can answer it that is. You mentioned your actions several weeks ago,   
you said you regretted hurting my feelings, the question is Seven: is that the only thing   
that you regretted about your decisions, that my feelings might have been hurt?" he   
asked.  
Seven took her eyes from him and looked at the ground. How could he ask her   
this? She didn't want to answer him, because she knew that the answer would further   
complicate things. She had regretted her decision, the second she told him she regretted   
it, and not just because she had hurt him. She regretted it because she wanted to be with   
him. Every fiber of her being wanted her to go to him, and admit her folly, but how could   
she tell him that now, how could she tell him that she had hurt him for no reason other   
then her own small fears and inadequacies. It would sound so stupid, so idiotic. She   
couldn't possibly reveal how she felt.  
"I… I had no other regrets about my decision, I am sorry," she said.  
Finnegan frowned in disappointment. It was as if he knew how Seven really felt,   
and was upset by her prideful refusal to reveal her feelings to him. Seven saw this look in   
his eyes and was tempted to tell him her true emotions, but quickly quelled the urge.   
Finnegan walked back to the cabinet, "Well then never mind, we better find a   
swim gill so I can actually make it to the surface, I don't think that I can hold my breath   
the whole time."  
"I must protest your request to swim unprotected to the surface, you are the   
illogical choice to make the swim, my Borg tech…" Finnegan gently pressed his finger   
up against her lips, shutting her up.  
"There will be no discussion on this," he said. The firmness in his voice caused   
Seven, for once, not to argue with him.  
  
Around 12:30 they decided they would begin their ascent. Seven got herself into   
the pressure suit and strapped on the bag that contained their survival tools for the next   
three days. In the bag was a hunting knife, a blanket, three days worth of rations, a   
change of clothes for Finnegan once he got out of the water, a tricorder, a phaser, and a   
flashlight.   
"Mr. Finnegan, though I am aware of the futility of this question, I must again ask   
you to let me make the ascent without the suit," Seven said, before she put the helmet on.  
"Well, Miss Seven of Nine, I am going to again have to tell you no, put your   
helmet on, and get you ass in the water," he said, with a playful smirk on his face.  
Seven rolled her eyes, "Very well, however, you will go in the water first, and I   
will swim by your side for the duration on the ascent. You may go into shock from the   
temperature and you will need someone to pull you out of the water," she said, staring   
him down.  
"Sounds like a plan," he said.  
Seven placed the helmet on her head and depressurized the suit. They walked into   
the depressurization chamber and the door closed behind them.   
"Turn around," Finnegan said to Seven.   
"What for?" she asked.  
"Well I'm not going to go swimming in all my clothes, they would just drag me   
down, so I'm going to undress and put my clothes in the bag, is that ok?" he asked. He   
wasn't sure, but he thought he saw Seven blush through the glass of the helmet. She   
raised an eyebrow and turned around.  
Finnegan quickly stripped down to his boxers, and placed his clothes into the   
watertight bag.  
"All right, lets get going," he said.  
Seven slowly turned and programmed the door to open, keeping a small force   
field that would allow them to pass through, but no water. The door would then close 30   
seconds after opening. Seven, much to her surprise, could not help but give Finnegan a   
glance as he stood there in his boxers. He noticed, smiled, now totally positive that he   
had seen her blush, and she cursed herself for taking a peek.  
"Did you just check me out?" he asked, laughing.  
"You are completely incorrigible, Mr. Finnegan," she said, walking toward the   
exit with her back toward Finnegan, there was no way she was going to let him see the   
huge smile the had spread across her face.  
Finnegan prepped himself for the cold and placed the breathing gill in his mouth.  
"Here goes nothing," he said as he made a diving leap into the water. It hit him   
like a wrecking ball. The shock of the absolute cold in the water was at first invigorating.   
Seven came in after him and he pointed to her and they began their climb. They had been   
swimming for only 25 seconds when the cold started to affect Finnegan. The invigorating   
feeling had disappeared and turned into the feeling of thousands of needles stabbing his   
bare skin. He could feel his muscles stiffening and his body began to ache. This all   
happened with a good two minutes left to go.  
Thirty seconds later it was almost unbearable. Every push of his arms shot pain up   
and down his spin. It was about the time that Finnegan thought he was going to have to   
give up when Seven tapped him on the shoulder and pointed behind him. When he turned   
he saw a large eel like creature, only ten seconds from them, approaching fast with its   
teeth bared.   
Instinct clicked in, the cold and pain disappeared. He swung himself around   
Seven and grabbed the knife hanging from her pack. When the eel creature was just about   
to strike he pushed Seven upward and out of the way. With the momentum from Seven   
he pushed him self under the eel creature right as it struck. He gripped the knife with both   
hands and with an over the head motion plunged it into its underbelly.  
The blood from the creature began to spread. Finnegan's vision was obscured by   
the red ink that was clouding the water. He couldn't see anything; especially the   
creature's tail that swung out from the convulsing animal and smacked against his head.   
Finnegan was jerked back in the water, totally taken by surprise. The breathing gill flew   
out of his mouth. He grappled for it, but it was lost. He shook off the head wound that   
was making him drowsy, he knew that he had to try to make it to the surface or he   
wouldn't make it. If he had taken a full breathe before the gill was knocked from him, he   
might have been able to make it, but he was caught off guard and didn't have lungs full   
of air.  
He pushed himself to the maximum. He cleared the cloud of blood and looked up   
for Seven, she wasn't there.   
"She must have made it to the surface," he thought to himself, "Thank God she   
made it."  
He pushed and pushed as the air slowly exited his body. He had only 50 m to go,   
but their was no air left in him. He could feel his consciousness slowly slipping away   
from him. His vision would flash from the surface of the water, the sun glaring through   
the top, and to a dream like place. Soon the surface stopped flashing into his vision and   
he was in the dream totally.  
He was back on the Borg ship, the explosion heading toward him, but this time   
the explosion was just darkness, and he could feel the cold flowing toward him. Betty   
was their, reaching out to him. And Seven was there too, in the blue gown she had worn   
the night of the party. She was reaching out to him as well.  
"Give me your hand," she said to him.  
Finnegan was torn with indecision. The darkness was almost upon him, reaching   
to him. It was touching him, he didn't know which way to go. Then it hit him, he realized   
everything. He remembered the dream he had before, whose hand he had grabbed. The   
darkness was on top of him. It was too late, his chance had passed. He called out her   
name, and then someone grabbed his hand.  
  
Seven leaped back into the water. When the eel creature had been struck it had   
lashed out and struck her suit, rupturing it. Her air began to decompress. She scrambled   
to the surface, ripped of her helmet and gasped for air. Her mind was racing.   
"Finnegan," she said.  
Logic was tossed aside; pure emotion was in control of her. She dove into the   
water, the cold attacking her senses, but it didn't faze her. She pushed herself toward the   
dark form in the water. When she got closer she could see that he was straining to reach   
the surface and that his breathing gill was gone. She pushed herself harder. She knew that   
it wasn't likely that she would be able to make it to him and pull them back up to the   
surface, but she didn't care. She saw him open his mouth and scream something. Even   
though the sound was lost in the water, she knew he was yelling her name. She reached   
out and grasped his extended arm.   
Quickly, with the speed of an Olympic swimmer she pivoted in the water and   
began her journey to the surface. The cold was stinging her face, her air was running out,   
but she pushed on. Light broke in, she had reached the surface: she gasped for air, cradled   
the unconscious Finnegan in her arms and began to swim for land. She reached the shore   
and pulled Finnegan on the sandy beach.   
He was unconscious, not breathing, but there was still a pulse. Seven acted   
quickly. She tilted his head back and pinched his nose with her fingers. She then pressed   
her mouth against his and began to breath air into his lungs. She continued the process   
until he began to cough, water spurting from his mouth.  
He was safe. She had saved him. She relaxed, a tremendous weight of worry now   
off of her shoulders.  
Finnegan's eyes opened and he looked around, trying to take in what just   
happened. He turned to Seven, his eyes glazed with exhaustion, he mustered a smile " It   
was you, I grabbed your hand, you … are my… future…" he passed out.  
Seven quickly shuffled through their pack of essentials and pulled out a medical   
tricorder. She scanned him. He was unconscious but stable.  
She paused for a second, contemplating what he had just said. She shrugged it off   
as a delusion due to the trauma and got to work putting his dry clothes back on him and   
setting up camp for them for the rest of the day. She believed that they had traveled   
enough.  
  
"You know what, I am really getting tired of losing consciousness," Seven turned   
around to see Finnegan sitting up in the place where she had left him.  
She stood up from her attempts at making a fire and walked toward him, the   
corners of her mouth slightly perked into a smile. "Then perhaps you will cease in   
performing foolish acts of heroics," she said, with a slightly mocking tone. She walked   
over to him and began to scan him with the tricorder.   
He reached out and gently placed his had on hers. "I assure you, they have all   
been for a good cause," he replied in a fully flirtatious manor.  
Seven raised an eyebrow, "Well I thank you for risking you health yet again for   
my safety, it was… noble of you, despite its imprudence."  
Finnegan noticed that she hadn't removed his hand from hers.  
"Seven, go to dinner with me?" he asked.  
She stepped back, breaking the contact with him. " What?"  
"When all this is over, and we are safely back on Voyager, would you like to go   
out to dinner with me?" he asked, staring her down.  
" I hardly think this is the appropriate time to be asking me on a date," she   
replied, not yet denying his request.  
"Well I beg to differ, who knows when I'll be knocked out again, I want to make   
sure I ask you before I get hit in the head and forget who you are, the risks of trauma   
induced amnesia and all. Besides, a man avoids death this many times he begins to think   
he's invincible, I'm going to take advantage of this confidence while I can," he said, a   
huge smile on his face.  
Seven looked at him. "Would it be so bad?" she thought to herself, " Feelings   
cannot be avoided and I clearly have them for him." She was reminded of the way she   
had felt when she emerged from the water earlier in the day. Her only concern was to   
make sure Finnegan was okay, the fact that she was in danger did not occur to her. Her   
only concern was to get to him as quickly as possible.  
She looked him in the eyes, "I will consider your request," she replied.  
"Well I guess that's good enough, now lets see if we can get that fire started," he   
said, walking over to the pile of sticks that Seven had assembled. He bent down to look at   
it.  
"Hmmm, I guess that the Borg never assimilated any boy scouts, come here and   
let me teach you how to make a fire," he said, waving her over to the pile of sticks.  
She walked over and knelt next to him as he proceeded to explain how to create a   
pile of sticks that would ignite easily. She listened to his every word, almost in a trance.   
Perhaps going to dinner with him would not be a mistake at all.  
  
By the time Finnegan had regained consciousness it was already fourteen hundred   
and needless to say they were both exhausted. By seventeen hundred the sun was already   
on its way to setting. The air was cold, yet not as cold as Finnegan had expected, the fire   
was supplying a great deal of warmth, or maybe it was just Seven, Finnegan really didn't   
know. He felt happy, almost joyous. He had come to a revelation in that water, and that   
revelation was Seven. She was his future, whatever that meant. So he was happy as long   
as she was around.  
"Should we look for food, or do you think we have enough rations to last us the   
rest of the trip?" he asked her.  
She turned to face him, she had been scanning the area for the past couple of   
minutes, " I believe that the rations we posses will be sufficient," she replied and went   
back to scanning.  
"Okay," he continued to poke at the fire. "Well is there anything that I can do to   
help, I'm feeling kind of worthless here," he said.  
"I suppose you could set up the sleeping area for tonight, it should be quite cold   
once the sun goes down," she said, still scanning.  
"All right," he said, leaping at the chance to do something. He laid down the   
thermal mat and the blanket on top of that. He was done. "Hmmm," he looked over at   
her, still scanning, " Is there something specific that you are looking for, there isn't any   
X- dylythium in this area, at least there wasn't on the scanners in the ship."  
"I am aware of that, I am just making sure that there aren't any other life forms in   
our area to give us …or you, and further trouble. I would like to get you back to the ship   
without getting eaten," she replied.  
Finnegan smiled, " That worried about how boring your life would be without me,   
huh?"   
Seven turned and faced him, giving him a glare that was less then amused, yet   
still had a hint of playfulness in it, " No, I know that the Captain is quite fond of you, I   
wouldn't want to disappoint her."  
"Sure, the Captain," he said laughing. He watched her as she continued to scan   
the area and noticed that she was looking rather tired.  
"Seven, you look tired, I'm sure dragging my sorry hide out of the water today   
took a lot out of you, why don't you get some sleep, I think I can hold down the fort for   
the rest of the night," he said walking toward her and putting a hand on the tricorder.  
She looked up at him, "Fort?" she asked.  
"Figure of speech," he replied.  
"I supposed that I could benefit from some extra rest, I will comply," she said   
handing him the tricorder, " After I consume some nutritional supplements," she said,   
walking toward the bag.  
She rummaged in it and pulled out two rations containers, "Will you be joining   
me in consumption Mr. Finnegan?" she asked.  
"I guess so," he said sitting on the ground next to her.  
"Is my pack in there?" he asked.  
She looked in the bag and pulled out a small little sack and handed it to him. He   
took it, opened it and removed a small package of some kind and another small metallic   
object. From the package he removed a small white stick, he grabbed the metallic object,   
opened its top and lit the small stick with the metallic object. It began to emit smoke,   
which he greedily breathed in.  
Seven looked over with confusion, " What is that?" she asked.  
"Oh sorry, it's just a bad little habit I picked up on Rublaton. I've been waiting for   
an away mission to smoke one of these," he said.  
" One of what?" she asked.  
"Oh it's a cigarette, its like tobacco, a hot little commodity on Rublaton, used to   
be popular on Earth too, but quite unhealthy," he said.  
"If it is unhealthy then why would you smoke it?" she asked, very confused.  
"I don't know, I just like 'em," he replied, taking another drag on the cigarette.  
"I do not understand why humans do so many things that are self destructive," she   
said, munching on her food.  
"Hey, we all have our little self destructive habits. This is just one of my many,"   
he said, " Would you like to try one," he said, handing her a cigarette.  
"No," Seven said.  
"Fair enough," he said, continuing to smoke his own.  
Seven began to eat her rations, but then paused, " You said that everyone has a   
self-destructive habit, if this is true, then what is mine?"  
Finnegan took another drag on his cigarette, a long one, " You want me to tell you   
what I think?"  
"Yes," she replied matter-of-factly.   
"Well I'd rather not, it's not my place to judge," he said slowly rising to escape   
from the situation.  
"Please," she said.  
Finnegan sat back down, "Ok, but I'm going to be honest with you, so I don't   
want you getting all angry at me for what I say, got it?"  
Seven took a deep breath, "Understood."  
"Ok, well lets see. I've noticed …that you tend to seclude yourself, which is   
interesting to me, because you are so afraid of being alone. In that same respect you are   
afraid to lose someone you care about, so you tend to keep yourself at a distance from   
them," Finnegan paused and looked at Seven for a response.  
Seven simply looked in front of her, processing what Finnegan had just said.  
"Well," Finnegan was beginning to get nervous; perhaps he had said too much,   
"any response?"  
Seven looked at him, her blue eyes full of thought and fire, " You assumptions are   
correct."  
Finnegan raised his eyebrow at this, "Really?"  
Seven continued to look at him, "Yes… I find it strange that you seem to know   
me so well Mr. Finnegan. Our time together has been short, yet your insight into my   
method of reasoning is uncanny."  
"Well I guess I'm just a good read of character, and please, call me Dempsey," he   
said.  
  
The next day they were up by 800 hours and starting their hike through the woods   
toward the transport site. They would have to be there by 1400 hours tomorrow, and   
while the distance was relatively short, the terrain was less then hospitable. Finnegan   
slipped on several ice patches, cursing the snow every time he did, and bringing a slight   
smile to Seven's face as well.  
"I thought that you were given extra agility when you were genetically   
engineered?" she asked, somewhat curious but mostly in a mocking tone.  
"I was! Hate to see how I would be without the tampering," he said, focusing   
greatly on where he was treading, " I guess I have always been kind of clumsy, guess its   
just bad luck."  
"Luck is irrelevant," Seven said.  
"Whatever," Finnegan replied.   
By 1300 hours they had traveled a little more then half the distance to the   
transporter site.  
"Ok, its snack time," Finnegan said as they approached a small pond. Finnegan   
glanced into it as they walked past.  
"What are you looking at?" Seven asked.  
"Nothing, just checking to make sure there are no giant eels, that's all," he said   
smiling.  
"I assure you, the eel we encountered was far to large to inhabit a pond of that   
size. Perhaps you should focus on where you are walking so you don't slipppp" and   
before Seven could finish her word her foot fell upon a devilish little ice patch and flew   
out from under her, causing her to sprawl on to the ground.  
Finnegan ran over to her, his face was red and she could see that he was trying   
very hard to repress his laughter.  
"Are you okay?" he said with great difficultly due to the effort he was expending   
in inhibiting some chuckles from surfacing.  
"I am physically undamaged, but my pride could be in better condition," she   
replied, grabbing his hand to hoist herself up.  
Finnegan could no longer contain the giggles that he was holding back and began   
to laugh almost to the point of hysterics.  
In some other circumstance, Seven would have perhaps been angered, but the   
sheer irony of the situation and the identity of the person who was laughing at her   
sparked a mischievous smile and idea.   
Finnegan had almost toppled over with laughter and hadn't noticed what Seven   
was up to. When he did choose to stop his laughter and look up, he was nailed in the face   
with a snowball.  
"Oh… you are so dead," he said playfully.  
He sprinted toward her, but Seven had already prepared another snowball and   
hurled it toward him, causing him to again loose his footing and stumble to the ground.   
She smiled at him and began to back up.  
"Isn't this an inefficient way to spend our time?" he asked her, and mischievous   
smile growing on his face as well.  
"Perhaps, but the Captain encourages me to spend some of my time with   
recreational activities, this is as good a time as any," she said.  
"Oh, is that so?" Finnegan said and he pulled himself out of the snow.  
If someone was looking on it would have seemed as if two children were playing   
in new fallen snow for the first time. They chased each other, lobbing the occasional   
snowball until Finnegan finally caught Seven and grated a large amount of snow into her   
hair. They tumbled to the ground in exhaustion, lying next to each other in the cottony   
snow.  
"That was truly unproductive," Seven said through heavy breaths.  
"Yeah, but it was worth it when I got you in the end," he said, propping his head   
up on his elbow and smiling at her, " And something tells me that's the first time you   
have ever played in the snow, or in fact, played at all."  
" Your assumption would be correct. I… cannot explain what came over me… I   
simply felt the urge to… be immature, to have fun," she said.  
"Yeah, that's what happens when you are around me for a while, I bring out the   
inner child within us all," he laughed at himself.  
"Well thank you, it was enjoyable," she said, getting up and wiping the snow off   
her uniform.  
"Anytime," he said, doing the same, " Well I guess we should eat a little bit and   
resume our journey. I bet we can make another 2k before we'll need to set up camp."  
They had a little food, resumed their march, and did just that.  
  
"Come in" Janeway said in response to the hail at her door. She had been sitting   
in her ready room for well over 3 hours contemplating the situation.  
Chakotay walked in with a fresh batch of coffee.  
"Ah, just what I needed, I just ran out," Janeway said after seeing the pot. She   
gestured for her first officer to take a seat and he sat down in front of her.  
"I figured you would be in need of some more," he said, " You have been in here   
for quite a while Kathryn, I don't think you should be worrying so much, Seven and   
Finnegan are two very capable people."  
"I know, I'm not worried about them making it back safely. I know that Finnegan   
won't let anything happen to Seven, and I'm pretty sure that she won't let anything   
happen to him. I guess I'm just… thinking," she said.  
Chakotay nodded in understanding, " They are an interesting pair."  
Janeway smiled, Chakotay always knew what was going on in her mind. "I guess   
that's what happens when you work closely with a person for so long," she thought. That   
same bond that was so powerful with Chakotay and her was now forming with Seven and   
Finnegan down on the planet and for some reason that gave her pause.  
"It's strange, Chakotay. I'm not saying that I am worried for Seven, but there is   
something going on in her life right now, and I can't stop wondering about it," she said.  
"That's because you care about her Kathryn. Over the past couple of years Seven   
had become like a daughter to you, and now your seeing her start to care about someone,   
in a way that she really hasn't cared before," he said.  
"Not to say that she didn't have feelings for Axum, but this is different Chakotay,   
this isn't some dream world where she can just wake up when things start to go bad. This   
is real," she replied.  
"If it's any consolation, Mr. Finnegan does truly seem to care about her," he said.  
"See, that's the thing, I know he does, hell I even talked about it with him, but I   
still can't help but worry, and right now they are down there. Things are happening and   
she is all alone to deal with it herself," she said, the concern growing in her eyes.  
Chakotay smiled, "Kathryn, you can't always be there for her, maybe it's better   
that she is experiencing these things for her own."  
"I know," she said, breaking out of the trance of worry that she was now in, "I just   
can't help but feel that my little girl is growing up," she said with a smile.  
"Paris to the Captain," the comm system interjected.  
"I'm here," she said.  
"We are ready to begin orbit," he replied.  
"I'm on my way," she said, rising from her seat.  
"They do grow up fast, don't they," Chakotay said as he rose to go with her.  
"That they do commander, that they do," she replied, placing a hand on his   
shoulder.  
  
"What time is it?" Finnegan asked with the same level of annoyance in his voice   
as a child asking 'are we there yet?'  
Seven whipped out her tricorder, " It is 17: 04," she stopped hiking, " Perhaps we   
should stop for the day and set up camp, it will be dark soon."  
"Agreed," Finnegan said, flopping the cumbersome sack on his back onto the   
snowy ground, the smile on his face gave away the pleasure of the news the they were   
stopping, " Well, Voyager should be getting ready for its close orbit right about now."  
"Correct," she said, opening the pack and removing the blankets and some   
rations.  
They had settled at the base of the hill they would have to climb to get to the   
transporter site. Finnegan began looking around. They were near a stream and the hill had   
created a small waterfall.  
"Wow," he said, staring at the natural beauty that was in front of them.  
"What is it?" Seven asked.  
"Oh, nothing, the waterfall … it's beautiful," he said, keeping his eyes on it.  
Seven watched him as he gazed at the scene. She had understood that people often   
admired aesthetic beauty, even though she had never really felt the need to try to   
understand it herself. Yet watching Finnegan, his hazel eyes almost in a trance, she   
suddenly felt the need to understand it.  
"I do not understand the human obsession with beauty, explain," she said.  
Finnegan glanced at her, snapping out of his trance. "Explain?" he asked.  
"Yes," she said, walking next to him and looking at the waterfall.  
"Explain? Well the wont be easy but I'll try," he said, scratching his head. "Ok,   
well let me put it this way. The Borg, their main driving force in life is to attain   
perfection, correct?"  
"Yes," she replied, somewhat taken aback by his use of the Borg to explain   
himself.  
"Well I guess in someway every culture has some level of obsession with   
perfection. While the Borg try to make themselves perfect, create that perfect collective   
mind, other species go about it a different way. They observe it, admire it."  
"I am confused, how is this waterfall perfect, there are several more waterfalls   
with less structural flaws," she stated.  
"True, but the thing with people is that perfection is only one type of beauty.   
There can be beauty in things that are flawed as well. I mean perfection doesn't really   
exist, so we all have our own interpretations of what it actually is, and that in itself is   
beautiful, or something like that. What I'm trying to say is that beauty is kind of an   
interpretation of what each individual sees as perfect," he said turning to Seven. She   
looked somewhat confused but turned to look at the waterfall.   
"I suppose it has its charm," she said.  
"Yeah, well I've seen some better looking things," moving his eyes to her, not   
missing a chance to flirt, "but that's enough philosophizing for now, lets have some   
food," he said walking off, toward the bag.  
Seven let her eyes linger for a few more moments on the waterfall, then turned to   
get some food.  
  
After she finished eating her rations Seven stood up and brushed herself off.  
"We have a lot of hiking to do tomorrow, we should get some rest and start   
early," she walked toward the bedding they had set up.  
"I agree, you know, it sounds silly, but seeing that this is our last night and all, I   
think I might miss this place a little," Finnegan said, finishing up the his own rations.  
Seven turned and faced him, her face confused, " I find that hard to believe, since   
the experience we have had here have been unpleasant, especially yours. You were   
almost killed in a fire, you were impaled, you were almost eaten by an eel, almost   
drowned," a small smile grew on her face, " you slipped countless times on the ice… and   
you were defeated in a snowball fight." Her grin was almost a full-blown smile.  
"Ha… that's cute, but anyway, I guess I've just gotten used to this winter-wonder   
land," he paused and looked at her, " or maybe it's just the company."  
Seven had gotten used to the frequent engaging comments from Finnegan and had   
simply ignored them up to this point. " Mr. Finnegan, I have noticed several comments of   
this nature, I assume their intent is of a flirtatious nature, explain."  
Finnegan's smile quickly turned into a frown, " Oh I'm sorry … I making you   
uncomfortable, I really wasn't trying to, I'm sorry if I caused you any anxiety ," His   
concern was genuine, he hadn't really been thinking about what he was saying, it just   
came natural to him.  
Seven thought about the past couple of comments and how they had made her   
feel. For some reason, they didn't bother the way they normally would have.  
She turned to him, and took a step closer, " You have not caused me anxiety, I do   
not find the comments offensive, just perplexing, what is the intent of them," she asked.  
Finnegan began to feel a little anxiety himself, " Uh, well I guess… I guess I'm   
just trying to let you know that," he looked up at Seven, she really was confused by the   
nature of these comments, "that I care, about you… er… um, that I'm interested in you."  
Seven paused and thought about what he said, " Is that the normal human way of   
letting someone know that you are interested in them?" she asked.  
"For some people, yeah, yeah it is. But some people are a little smoother about it   
then others. I, clearly, am not one of those people. Perhaps I should quit while I'm   
ahead," he answered.  
"Perhaps you should," Seven replied, as she turned her back to him and resumed   
her walk to the bedding, then she stopped and glanced at him over her shoulder, "Or   
perhaps not."  
A huge grin began to grow on Finnegan's face.   
He walked over toward her, "So, did you think about my offer?" he asked.  
"To what offer are you referring to?" she asked, knowing full well that he was   
talking about his request to go to dinner with him.  
"The one where you and I go out to dinner once we get back on Voyager," he   
said.  
Seven paused, " I have been considering it … and I still have not come up with a   
conclusion, but I will inform you when I do," she said.  
"Fair enough," he said, the pain evident in his tone of voice.  
Seven cringed; she really didn't enjoy hurting Mr. Finnegan, but she really   
couldn't answer him, not yet.  
"Ok, I guess we should go to sleep, got a big day tomorrow, I cant wait to get   
back to my quarters and take a nice hot shower," Finnegan said, quickly breaking the   
silence and changing the subject.   
They both laid down on the mat and blanket, curled into each other to keep them   
selves warm, and went to sleep.  
  
"Okay Tom, take us in," Janeway said, her voice masking the apprehension that   
was permeating her mind. "All right Voyager, I hope your ready for this, you've been   
through worse," she thought to herself, talking to her ship as she often did.   
The bridge was tense. The crew was used to taking risks, but that didn't make it   
any easier to handle them.   
Tom's fingers flew over the controls as he slowly eased the Intrepid class starship   
into the open patch in the asteroids that Tuvok had helped clear with the phasers.  
"Here goes nothing," Tom said under his breath.  
  
"Did I say I was going to miss this Godforsaken planet last night, cause I really   
don't think I will," Finnegan huffed as he and Seven made their way up the mountain   
where the transport site was.  
"We are almost there," Seven said, through heavy breaths. Finnegan and her were   
to of the most physically apt people in the entire crew of Voyager and the fact that the   
hike was almost unbearable for them was proof enough that it was difficult. They had   
believed that they had more then ample time to complete their task, but they had to   
change their course and take several detours around some vertical climbs because they   
hadn't had the right equipment. Now, they were cutting it close.  
The fact that they were approaching a heavy thicket the looked almost impassible   
was not very encouraging and Seven didn't even bother repressing her frown.  
"God Dammit!" Finnegan shouted.  
"We will need to go around, the radiation is to strong here, it is interfering with   
my tricorder readings, I cannot determine the terrain or detect any possible life forms,"   
she replied.  
"How much time do we have?" he asked.  
"Thirty minutes," she said.  
"We have to go through, we don't have enough time to take a detour, we won't   
make it if we do. Listen, we are at the right altitude, I don't think there is going to be any   
more vertical climbs beyond that brush, we've gotta try," he said.  
"I can't get a reading on any life forms, their could be wildlife in there that may   
be dangerous," she replied.  
"We haven't seen anything more then small mammals this entire day, I'm sure   
that there isn't anything in there," Finnegan said with conviction.  
Seven thought for a second. She knew that they didn't have enough time for a   
detour; she knew that this was their only option, but the prospect of traveling into the   
dark thicket ahead of them was unsettling. Was this the human intuition that she had   
heard so much about?  
"I suppose we have no other alternative," she complied reluctantly.  
"Exactly, but just in case, I get out the phaser and I'll go in ahead, if there is   
something in there we should be able to here it and smell it before it gets to us," he said   
as he opened the pack on his back and pulled out the hand phaser.  
They approached the thicket and began to tread their way through it. At first it   
was almost impassable and Finnegan had to use the phaser several times to break apart   
the bush. Yet the deeper they got the more it thinned and they found what almost   
appeared to be a path set deep in the plants.  
The visibility was low, but they knew the direction they had to go in. They   
walked in the brush for five minutes until they reached a clearing. Finnegan paused.  
"What?" Seven asked, is a whisper.  
Finnegan's eyes opened wider and he raised her had for her to be quiet. He looked   
around and sniffed the air, raising his phaser to a ready position.  
"Seven, slowly back into the thicket," he said, taking a step back.  
Before Seven could even react to his comment, she saw Finnegan's body tossed to   
the side, a huge gash in his arm. In his place stood a mammoth creature that was a cross   
between a bear and a gorilla. It roared up on his hind legs, it's large teeth bared and its   
long claws fully visible. Seven gasped at the size of it.  
I looked down on her and lunged with its mouth open, looking for a meal. Seven,   
however, was not in the mood to be eaten and leaped out of its way. She rolled on the   
snow and stood back up, ready to fight for her life. The creature slashed at her with its   
claws and she dodged it time and time again, landing a couple hard blows on its head.   
Unfortunately, even her Borg strength couldn't damage the creature critically. She just   
continued to dodge the animal, and hoped that Finnegan was okay.  
  
Finnegan rolled over, not quite sure what had happened. He felt warmness   
trickling down his arm and down to see that the flesh was missing from his bicep area   
and that his bone was exposed. He had to fight to keep the food in his stomach from   
coming up at the sight of it.  
He heard movement, growling and grunting. He looked up to see Seven and a   
large white beast in a death struggle. He slowly rose to his feet, and rubbed his eyes.  
His vision cleared just in time to see Seven lose the fight. She stumbled over a   
root and the creature took advantage of her momentary pause in movement. It brought its   
mighty claw down and in a harsh blow, deeply cut into Seven's stomach.  
"SEVEN!" Finnegan shouted.  
The creature turned its head and considered lunging toward Finnegan, but quickly   
decided the elusive prey it had just struck down would be tastier.  
Seven was in shock, she clutched at her stomach, looked down, not believing   
what she was seeing. Then she looked up at Finnegan. She feel to one knee, then the   
other, and then completely collapsed face down in the snow, the her blood spilling out   
and staining the once white snow with a horrific pink.  
Finnegan lunged toward the creature, and before it could even move toward its   
fallen prey he was on it. He tossed it aside, away from Seven's fallen body. It tumbled   
over and rolled on its back, amazed by the small creature that had so easily moved its   
massive frame.  
Finnegan turned around, and out of the corner of his eye he caught the phaser. He   
ran toward it, it was in between the creature and him.  
The creature got up and began to run toward him, aggravated that he had   
disturbed its dinner. It was a race. Would Finnegan reach the phaser and fire before the   
snow beast sunk its teeth into his flesh?  
Finnegan dived for the phaser, gripped it in his hand, rolled to face the beast and   
fired.  
The shot hit the beast and stunned it, but it couldn't stop its momentum, the   
animal plowed into Finnegan and they rolled and tumbled until they slammed into tree.  
For a moment, there was not movement, it seemed that Finnegan was crushed.   
But eventually the arm of the beast began to move, however, not by will of the beast.   
Finnegan brushed the arm aside and painfully stood up. He ran toward Seven's   
crumpled body and turned her over. She was still breathing, but her wounds were deep.  
"Seven, Seven, can you hear me?" he said, tears beginning to form in his eyes.  
For a moment she didn't reply, but her eyes slowly fluttered open, " You… must   
go… time… no more time… you can make it," her words were hardly audible, " go with   
out me."  
"Like hell I will," Finnegan said.   
" You must comply," even with the wounds and the pain, Seven still had stone   
hard determination in her voice.  
That just made Finnegan more determined to take her with him.  
" It's my fault this happened, and I'm not going anywhere without you," he said,   
reaching his arms around her, "This is going to be painful, but its better then dying alone   
on this planet, I'm getting you back to Voyager, Seven." With that said he lifted her up.  
She screamed in pain, and in fact so did Finnegan, the tear in his arm began to   
steam blood it reaction to the new stress placed on it.  
"You won't make it… you must leave me," she said as he walked on.  
"Hey its no problem, but for the future, you might want to go easy on those   
nutritional supplements beta, all 90 pounds of you is kinda heavy," he said jokingly.  
Seven smiled.  
Finnegan got a bust of strength from that smile.  
There were only several meters to go; he knew he could make it.  
But he was getting so tired, so cold. It was the blood loss, he knew it, it had   
happened to him before. When you lose too much blood you get cold, and tired. It would   
be so nice to rest, just for a second.  
He looked down at the woman in his arms, now unconscious with pain. He shook   
himself out of it. There would be no sleep; there could be no sleep. He wasn't going to let   
her die here. He couldn't let another woman he loved die.  
Love? That's right, he loved her. He realized it now. He did love her. But would   
she ever know that or would they die here.  
He looked ahead of him. There was a clearing so close, that was where they   
needed to be.  
"I can do it," he said out loud, the sound of his voice snapping him out of the   
exhaustion that was almost overcoming him.  
He pressed on, always looking forward. His vision began to blur, the snow was   
falling into his eyes. He could see the clearing, but it started to change, into something   
metallic, into something cold yet familiar. The snow began to stream forward into his   
face, like and explosion of white. The landscape around it began to change. No longer   
was it the ground and the mountain, but it was passageways and metal catwalks. It was no   
longer lined with trees but with …drones. He was on a cube, a Borg cube, and as the   
explosion overcame him he could feel the slight tingle of his body as he was   
dematerialized.   
  
Finnegan's eyes opened. He saw the lights of sickbay, not the snowy sky of the   
planet he had spent the past four days on, or the eerie green lights of a Borg cube, but the   
comforting Starfleet design of his newest home. Finnegan, however, was not comforted.  
"SEVEN?!" he shouted and he shot up from the bio-bed.  
Dizziness and pain shot through his already weak body. Tom Paris was close at   
hand and rushed over to him.  
"Whoa, take it easy Dempsey, you lost a lot of blood," Tom said with sympathy   
in his voice as he placed a hand on Finnegan's shoulder, partially to support him and   
partially to hold him back.  
Finnegan didn't like the tone of Paris' voice; it was hiding something.  
"Where is she?" he asked with painful reserve, staring Paris in the eye.  
"Um…" Tom replied, not returning his glare.  
Finnegan felt his stomach lurch; he doubled over in pain, " My God Tom, where   
the hell is she?" he yelled.  
The noise drew the Captain over to where Finnegan was struggling to get up. Tom   
was trying to keep him on the bio-bed, but he was no match for Finnegan, injured or not.  
"Captain, please, tell me her condition," he asked, the pain filling his eyes as he   
stumbled toward her.  
The Captain looked up at him and he knew it wasn't good.  
"Is she… dead?" he asked.  
"No," the Captain said, " but her condition isn't good. She has severe wounds to   
several internal organs and a collapsed lung. There is also some kind of infection in the   
both of you. The Doctor treated yours because the wounds weren't affecting anything   
major. The infection has spread to most of Seven's vital systems."  
Finnegan had to lean against the consul to prevent himself from passing out.  
"This is all my fault," he mumbled to himself.  
"Mr. Finnegan, I fail to see how an animal attack is your…" Janeway started to   
object, but Finnegan interrupted her.  
"The thicket, where we were attacked. Seven said that she couldn't scan it, that it   
was too dangerous to go into the unknown, but I insisted…" Finnegan paused, " didn't   
think we would make it to the transport site in time. So we went in, and I was supposed to   
protect her, I had the phaser, I was in the lead. But it jumped us, knocked me aside, and   
when I got up she was on the ground …" tears began to swell in his eyes, " and I failed, it   
was all my fault, now she's in there dying because I'm inept!" the self loathing in his   
words was palpable.  
"Finnegan, it was a decision that you both made, Seven wouldn't have agreed   
with it if it was a logical idea," Janeway placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.  
"Look at me," he said, backing away, " Here I am, the very model of   
technological and genetic 'perfection'" he said with bitterness, " and I can't even protect   
one person." He looked up at Janeway.  
"Mr. Finnegan, please, you need to rest, your systems aren't fully recovered yet,   
you are still not well," she pleaded.  
Finnegan blinked, his eyes filled with a new resolve.   
"I'll rest when she's better, for now the Doc needs my help," he said, walking   
toward the other side of sickbay.  
"Finnegan, the doctor is fully capable of handling this himself, you are in no   
condition to be…" Janeway was cut off again.  
"Captain, other then the Doc, I have the most medical knowledge of anyone on   
this ship. Seven is dying, and if I can right some of the damage that I have done, and save   
that woman's life, then I am going to do everything in my power to do so," he looked at   
her.  
Janeway could see the pain in his face. She knew what it was like to be   
responsible for someone else's pain. She knew that this wasn't the first time that   
Finnegan had felt responsible for someone and failed in his own eyes. She also knew that   
she didn't want to loose Seven.  
"Please Captain," Finnegan was struggling to hold back the tears.  
"Proceed," she said.  
  
Seven's eyes fluttered open and she stepped forward.  
Regeneration Cycle complete the computer chirped.  
Seven had been regenerating for five days, at the Doctor's orders, and was   
relieved to finally be able to do something. She began to walk out of Cargo Bay 2 when   
something caught her eye.  
It was on the panel to near her regeneration alcove. She walked toward the object   
and examined it with her eyes.  
It was a small clear globe filled with water, with a wooden base. Inside was a   
small model of a waterfall. Seven lifted in and noticed that it had small flakes of white   
floating in it. She held it up and shook it gently. The globe filled with the white "snow".  
On the consul was a small PADD. Seven picked it up and read it, "So you can   
always walk in a winter wonderland. - Finnegan"  
Seven placed the PADD back down on the consul and exited the Cargo Bay.  
  
Finnegan sat in the mess hall, alone except for the two ensigns in the corner and   
Neelix getting ready to close up.  
"Mr. Finnegan, can I get you something?" Neelix asked, a friendly smile on his   
face.  
"What?" Finnegan snapped out of the thought he was in.  
"Would you like something to eat, or drink?" Neelix asked again, the smile now   
turning into a frown of concern.  
"Oh, sorry, I was lost in thought. Uh yeah, I guess I could use a warm glass of   
milk, if that's not to much trouble," he said.  
"None at all," Neelix said. He walked over to the replicator and got the requested   
beverage, walked to the table, placed the glass in front of Finnegan, and took a seat   
across from him.  
"Can't sleep, huh?" he said.  
"Nope, haven't been able to get a good night sleep since I came back," Finnegan   
said, " Guess the warm milk gave me away," he took a sip.  
" Well that and the fact that you look, well… you look a little tired," Neelix said   
kindheartedly.   
Finnegan smiled, "Yeah, I know,"  
"Mr. Finnegan, I just want to say, I'm so happy that you came aboard this ship,"   
Neelix said.  
Finnegan looked up, surprised at the Talxian's comment.  
Neelix continued, " The crew seems to enjoy your company, trust me, I know, I'm   
the morale officer, I observe these things. Tom and Harry enjoy having a new person to   
play ruthless practical jokes with. B'Elanna has finally found someone that understands   
the Klingon culture. The Doctor has another medic. The Captain seems to have found a   
kindred spirit in you. And others…" he paused, seeming to search Finnegan face to see if   
he should go further, apparently he saw that he should, " Well Seven mainly, I have seen   
the greatest deal of changes in her."  
Finnegan took a deep breath.  
"It's the little things," Neelix continued, " On most of the crew I wouldn't notice   
them, but Seven rarely changes her little quirks. For instance, I noticed that when you   
walk in here, she often follows you with her eyes. I mean she tries to pretend that she is   
studying her work, but nothing escapes the watchful eye of the morale officer." Neelix   
began to chuckle at himself.  
Finnegan couldn't help but smile, "Tell me Neelix, are all Talaxians as wonderful   
as you, cause I might just have to hope on my ship and visit that planet."  
Neelix smiled again, " Well, I don't know if they all are, but we are quite a   
friendly race, in fact…" Neelix paused and looked behind Finnegan, " Mr. Finnegan,   
perhaps I'll talk to you about Talaxians later, I believe that someone wants to talk to   
you," he stood up and walked back to the counter.  
Finnegan stood up, took a deep breath, and turned around.  
"Mr. Finnegan," Seven said.  
"Hello, Seven," he said, "Would you like to sit down?" he said, gesturing toward   
the chair next to him.  
"Yes," she walked toward the chair and he pulled it out for her. She sat.  
Finnegan sat down, "How are you feeling?" he asked.  
"I have fully recovered from my injuries, in fact, that is one of the things I came   
to talk to you about," she replied. She looked at Finnegan's face. He looked awful; he   
was haggard, tired. The usual spunk in his face was almost gone.  
"Are you all right Mr. Finnegan, you do not look well," she asked.  
Finnegan chuckled, " Wow, I must look horrible. I'm fine, just a little tired," he   
said.  
There was a long silence.  
"I was informed that B'Elanna and you discovered a shield frequency that negates   
the radiation interference. That a shuttle recovered the Delta Flyer and several sampled of   
the X-Dylthium," she said.  
"Yeah, turns out there wasn't as much as we thought," he replied, half-heartedly.  
"True, but there was enough recovered to cut nearly 5 years of the journey, that is   
quite an accomplishment," she said.  
"I suppose. Now, what is it that you wanted to talk about?" he said.  
" I … wanted to thank you for the gift, the globe. It was very thoughtful… And,   
for saving my life," she said.  
Finnegan was taken aback, " Seven, I hardly saved your life. If it weren't for me,   
you wouldn't have been hurt at all. It was my decision that put you in danger, my god   
you were almost killed by that creature, if I hadn't been so stubborn, so pig-headed you   
would have never been in danger," his words were filled with emotion.  
" You must discontinue with this," she said, her voice stern.  
Finnegan was confused, " With what?"  
Seven's eyes grew wider, "With this irrational line of thinking. You must stop   
blaming yourself. What happened on that planet was an accident…"  
"An accident that could have been avoided if I had listened to you and took the   
detour around the thicket," he said.  
"My plan was wrong, if we had taken the detour we would have missed the   
window of time to be transported, your decision was the only logical choice," she replied.  
"That doesn't matter, I still couldn't protect you," he said.  
"You are in error, you did exactly that. You too were injured; the creature was   
about to finish me when you came to my rescue. If I am correct you also managed to   
carry me to the transporter site, and aid the Doctor in my surgery, all while you were still   
injured. You say that you failed to protect me, but the events clearly indicate that you   
were my savior," she said. Not taking her eyes from him.  
"I believe that you feel this guilt for something else, for your past," she said.  
Finnegan looked into her eyes, she could see the pain in his face, he opened his   
mouth "I hate feeling this way When I saw you there in the snow, lying there, I felt it all   
coming back again, all of the pain, all of the horror, it was horrible," he said.  
Seven placed a hand on his elbow, " Mr. Finnegan, I don't know how you feel,   
but I can try to understand. Loosing someone close to you, who you feel responsible for   
must make you feel weak … helpless… imperfect, but you did not loose me, you were   
not weak, or helpless. I thank you for your strength and determination."  
Finnegan placed his hand on hers, " Over that past couple of nights, in fact ever   
since the shuttle crashed, I have been having these dreams. Strange dreams. I'm on a   
Borg cube, and there is this explosion coming toward me. To one side is Betty, but she's   
not Betty, she's a Borg drone. Then to the other side of me is… is you. Your both   
reaching out to me, trying to get me to go with you. And all the times, every time I reach   
out to grab a hand, its your Seven, its always your hand," he said.  
Seven took a deep breath, " What do you think this means?" she asked, clearly   
touched.  
"I think it means that… you are my future, that all of my past has lead up to you   
somehow, I'm really not sure," he said.  
They sat there in silence for several seconds.   
Then Seven spoke up, " I lied to you."  
"Excuse me?" Finnegan was confused by her comment.  
"On the shuttle, the first morning, you asked me if my only regret in telling you   
we needed to terminate our relationship was that I hurt your feelings. This was not true,"   
she said.  
"Ok, well, what other regrets did you have?" he asked.  
Seven paused, took a deep breath, and spoke, " From the moment we met I have   
felt different around you. At first I believed it to be dislike for you, but when you asked   
me to the party, I realized that it was far from it. When I saw you that night in the   
hallway, I was afraid. Your analysis of why are ended our relationship was correct. It was   
my own fears that caused me to make my decision, and I have regretted it everyday since   
I made it."  
Finnegan began nodding his head, " Hmm, well I'm glad you changed your   
mind," he said with a smile.  
"As am I," she said, " Now, I suggest that you get some sleep, we will have a lot   
of work to do tomorrow to integrate the X-dylythium into the warp core," she said, rising.  
"Yes," Finnegan said, still quite dazed by what Seven had revealed to him, " I   
guess I'll see you tomorrow, we have a lot to talk about,"  
"One more thing… Dempsey," she said.  
Finnegan head snapped back at her use of his first name.  
"Yeah," he said, just in front of the door.  
" What time should I meet you for dinner tomorrow?" she had a full smile on her   
face.  
"Ha… how is 2000 hours?" he said.  
" Perfect," she said.  
Finnegan nodded, and walked to his quarters. He stepped in side, patted Hercules   
on the head, and got the best night sleep he had had in years.  



End file.
